B and B
by Lobstirrchwan
Summary: "It was said that to be born as an omega was a blessing; that coming into maturity to suddenly discover that you were able to bear children was a privilege, allowing you to live the rest of your life in the lap of luxury. Omega. The hope of the future lied in their wombs, both male and female, and all were cherished, protected, loved, and wanted for nothing. So why is one hiding?
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! Yes, I am alive! I've made it my goal to finish my fics this year! For those of you waiting patiently for That Time I Went Down Fighting, you'll have to wait a bit longer... My computer is full of almost completed fics and I wanted to get them finished before moving on to that goliath. I hope this will satisfy you while you wait though!

**Note about this fic!** It's an ABO, the first I've written. **Mpreg implied, males having periods, attempted rape (in the same sense that animal rape each other)** Some of the usual guidelines were not followed (the term "heat" is used for everyone, so please don't get upset that I don't use "ruts", it was just easier that way) This first chapter is really, really long and is pretty emotional with some graphic scenes just as a warning.

Special thanks to TreeStarr and BlackProdigy for betaing this chapter!

I really enjoyed writing this so I hope you like it!

**B&B (The Bitch and the Bastard**

Part 1. Puberty's a Bitch

It was said that to be born as an omega was a blessing; that coming into maturity to suddenly discover that you were able to bear children was a privilege, allowing you to live the rest of your life in the lap of luxury.

Omega. The hope of the future lied in their wombs, both male and female, and all were cherished, protected, loved, and wanted for nothing.

Yes, to be an omega was a blessing.

…...

* * *

…

_Heavy panting and hurried footfalls that were nearly covered by the sound of the rain pouring down in torrents were all he could hear. He knew the rain was cold, the water soaking through his nightie had chilled his skin at one point, but now all he felt was the ever present warmth of the person holding him close, cradling him in secure arms. He could feel the heartbeat pounding rapidly just as the next ragged breath let out a frosty cloud above his small head and knew that even though the warmth he was feeling made him feel safe and secure, he was anything but. _

_He shouldn't have come. _

_Then they were falling. _He _was falling. He let out a cry when he felt sharp claws tear open his soaked night clothes, searing a long shallow gash along his side when he tumbled from his safe haven onto the muddy ground. He rolled before finally coming to a halt on his stomach, coughing the puddle water out of his small mouth that he was unfortunate enough to have his face land in._

_He hurt everywhere, but the throbbing in his shoulder where he had initially hit the forest floor and the bloody cut that was now caked in mud was stinging something fierce and he couldn't help the tears that came to his eyes before rolling down his dirty face as fear finally gripped him. _

_A scream and the sound of struggling brought his attention back to where he had come from and he was met with a curtain of red. He knew that red, but it was being sullied by the rain and the mud and the _thing _that was on top of it. And then the curtain shifted and there was deep blue, almost on the side of gray but no less breathtaking. _

_Then he was up on his hands and knees, _reaching_. _

"_NO!" The scream broke through the rain like a crack of thunder, making him hesitate for a moment, but then a familiar hand reached out of the curtain of red toward him and the command was repeated. "NO!" _

_His eyes widened in horror when he took in the fact that those once delicate fingers were now red, but the rain was quickly washing them clean. His eyes darted to the one who had been chasing them, before returning to the familiar blue and again he jerked forward._

"_Run!" This time the command was different, but no less desperate. He watched as that hand swept back and up to become more red before it was smashed to the ground in a strong grip. "Run now! Run!"_

"Ru-"

"-ruto!"

"Naruto!"

Naruto gasped, his eyes shooting open when something hit him on the side of the head. He looked around blurily at the cloud ridden sky for a moment before turning his head to find a pen lying carelessly in the grass next to him. Not knowing how that got there, but not caring either, the blond closed his eyes again and sighed deeply, the memories of his most recent dream too painful for him to handle at the moment.

Snickering to his left forced Naruto to open his eyes again and he jumped when he realized that he had at least a dozen pairs of eyes on him, including his teacher's (who was giving him a rather impressive glare for the usually gentle beta).

"Naruto," the brunette teacher called again, his clawed hands planted firmly on his hips and one foot tapping an impatient staccato on the dirt flattop a few feet away from the grassy knoll the students had taken a seat on, and subsequently Naruto had taken a nap on.

"Uh," Naruto rolled into sitting position, discreetly wiping away the tears that had thankfully managed to not fall from his blue eyes, before he returned his attention to the man in front of him. He allowed a hesitant smile to grace his features, hoping it would distill any tension his mid-class nap may have caused. "Hey, Iruka-sensei. Nice day." He gestured lazily to their general surroundings, because yes, it was a nice day.

"Troublesome."

The statement made Naruto look down to see his partner in crime still on his back in the cool grass with his hands folded lazily behind his head and his eyes closed as if he hadn't a care in the world. Naruto frowned and kicked Shikamaru's foot, lightly jostling the brunette's comfortable position. He earned an amused smirk in return.

'_Asshole,' _the blond mentally grumbled before his attention was snapped back to his teacher with another sharp call of his name. "YES? What? I'm here!" Naruto yelled louder than he meant to and cringed slightly in embarrassment when his classmates and his teacher noticeably jumped at his abrupt reply.

Iruka sighed and waved a hand haphazardly. "You're up," he said.

Feeling a rush of adrenaline spike through him, Naruto took a deep breath to calm his nerves and released it slowly. '_Right.' _ His body trembled slightly. His emotions, still high from his most recent dream, left him feeling raw, but he got to his feet anyway and made his way past his classmates to the flat dirt area his teacher was waiting on.

"Bet ya ten bucks the shrimp gets his ass kicked."

The comment was whispered loud enough for Naruto to hear, it was obvious that it wasn't meant to be hidden, and the blond spun in place as anger suddenly spiked in him. His eyes landed on Kiba, and instantly narrowed further as his anger grew because it was guys like _this_ that Naruto hated.

"What was that asshole?!" He snarled loudly, taking a step toward the sitting brunet.

Kiba smirked and shared a knowing look with his friend before he looked back to the small blond in front of him. "You heard me, pipsqueak." When the blue eyed boy continued to glare at him, Kiba raised an eyebrow at the obvious challenge and stood. "What? You wanna go?"

Naruto took in the way the brunet towered over him, the way Kiba held his arms out and bent at the elbows, fingers bent, as if he were a bear ready to attack. '_He looks like one,_' Naruto surmised. They all did; big, stupid, aggressive, monsters, with only one thing in mind, and Naruto hated them all.

With a low growl, Naruto bent his legs in preparation to lunge at Kiba. He didn't care if the move made him look even smaller than he was, he was going to kick the guy's ass.

"Boys!"

The sharp call halted Naruto's attack and brought both boy's attention to Iruka. "Save it," the teacher nodded his head toward the empty dirt space in which he was standing, causing both boys to huff and move away from each other.

Naruto stomped onto the flat top, kicking up dirt in his wake. He could feel his anger boiling in his stomach, but tried to push it down as he turned to face his sparring partner, knowing that it would only fog his mind.

His eyes landed on Tenten, a girl of medium build who always wore her brown hair up in twin buns. Naruto eyed her up and down. He honestly didn't know how to feel about the girl. As far as he had seen in the past, she was a fairly aggressive fighter, but she seemed generally calm in all other circumstances. Kind of a blank slate. With some people, like Kiba, it was obvious that their second gender would be once maturity hit, but with others there was no way of knowing.

Naruto shrugged, rolling his shoulders to loosen up his tense joints. Only time would tell whether girl would deserve his hatred.

"Alright," Iruka said as his students squared off, "You know the rolls, no going for the eyes and no severing limbs." Satisfied when both children nodded, the beta raised his hand, before dropping it in a quick swipe downward, "Begin!"

The class cheered as their two peers began their spar. Naruto charged Tenten with a kunai, its edges dulled for practice purposes, held at stomach level and the girl barely had time to dodge the blonde's quick speed. Metal clanged as blades met between the two youths bodies time and time again before Naruto's fingers finally gave and his kunai skittered across the dirt to land uselessly some ten feet away.

Iruka smiled as he watched the blond switch to hand to hand combat. Naruto may be small and a bit clumsy in his movements for now, but his was quickーabnormally so thanks to his father's bloodlineー and he was very aggressiveーa sure sign that he would one day be a fine alpha. Naruto may not have the Inuzuka's brute size and strength like all of Kiba's clan did, or the unusual eyes of the Hyuuga clan, but he made up for it in other ways. Even now, Naruto's vigor was enough to disarm his opponent.

Naruto felt some small form of elation at the sound of Tenten's weapon hitting the ground, but it was quickly replaced by a bark of laughter that brought his eyes to his audience and rekindled his previously controlled anger. Kiba, that sonofabitch, was taking bets on him! His grip on Tenten loosened.

The entire class watched as Tenten suddenly spun and kneed Naruto in the ribcage, earning herself a pained grunt. Before the blond could stumble back, the brunette was on him, the two grappling for dominance. When the dust cleared, Tenten was pinning Naruto face first to the ground with a triumphant grin on her face.

Iruka shook his head in mild disappointment, but clapped with the rest of the class. "Alright class, head inside. I have some final information I need to discuss with you before you head home."

Naruto ground his teeth and tried not to breathe in any dust as he waited for the weight to leave his back. It seemed Tenten was enjoying her victory a little too much as she was keeping her perch while she accepted her celebratory pats on the back.

A deep shadow fell over Naruto's face as someone squatted next to his head, allowing him to only see the person's foot and pant leg as it draped over him. "That's what I like to see. You face down on the ground, right where you belong."

Naruto's eyes widened at Kiba's words as the images from his dream came playing back and suddenly that annoying weight on his back wasn't just a nuisance, but something much worse. Panic and anger filled Naruto as he tried to surge up, but all he got was a face full of dirt kicked in his direction before Tenten finally removed herself and Kiba moved off with his other classmates.

Naruto breathed, not caring this time that every breath made him feel like coughing with each dusty intake, as he allowed himself a moment to rest on the ground. '_Damn him,' _he cursed. '_Damn them all.' _He didn't know if Kiba meant his words the way Naruto interpreted themー though, honestly he probably didーbut Naruto still couldn't stop thinking that way. _They _were the ones who did it, _they _were the ones who still did it and wouldn't stop, and even if he had to be one of them, he would never end up doing the same thing, because he'd seen the horror it caused.

Naruto closed his eyes and just breathed, willing the images of the red curtain and glowing blue/grey away for now. Now wasn't the time to feel that pain, now wasn't the right time to remember.

'_Mom.'_

…..

"Now as you know, as twelve year olds you will all be reaching your maturity this year," the brunet beta informed his students once they were all seated. "I'm sure your parents have already talked to you about this, but I am required to remind you that _tonight_ is the Vernal, or Spring, Equinox and you must be locked in your rooms when your first heats hit as you come of age."

"Why is that Iruka-sensei?" a young brunette girl asked, raising her hand midway through asking her question, much to her teacher's annoyance.

Iruka smiled kindly, hiding his grimace. It was most likely that little Hinata would be an omega, but that didn't mean that her parents needed to keep her in the dark about everything. The poor girl would be in for a rude awakening come breeding season if she stayed this ignorant. Iruka's eyes drifted around the classroom, wondering how many of his students actually knew what to expect. He sighed. Well, that's why he was here.

"Because," he finally said, as calmly as possible so he wouldn't scare any of the children, "you will not be the only ones going into heat. Everyone who is sexually mature will also be feeling this phase of the moon for the weekend and we can't have any of you getting attacked." He noticed the way a few student's paled, shifting uncomfortably in their seats, and continued before the murmuring got too out of control. "Now, you're bound to feel some discomfort, but you'll be fine. I do warn you that by the time it's over things will be different for some of you if you happen to be an alpha or an omega, but you can discuss that with your guardians. Now, moving on…."

Naruto rested his head on his desk and closed his eyes, blocking out the rest of Iruka-sensei's pratling and waited for the day to end. He could already feel his body begin to tingle with the phase of the moon and it was making him even more irritable. He didn't know why they even had class today, it was a stupid idea. He just wanted to go home, curl up in bed, and never get up.

…...

* * *

…

"I'm home!" Naruto called as he closed the door behind him, toed off his sandals, and tossed his backpack somewhere in the corner.

"Hey! I'm-" _Crash_! "AH, MOTHER FUCKING DAMMIT!"

Naruto sighed and felt the corners of his lips twitch upward in a small smile as he sauntered casually toward the source of the loud and rather colorful cursing. When he finally made it to his destination, he placed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the doorframe as he took in the chaos that had once been his kitchen.

There was flour _everywhere _and what looked like tomato sauce (he really hoped it was sauce and not blood) splattered across the floor in a sharp streak. A large pot of something was boiling heavily on the stove, its contents spilling over and burning on the stovetop, while the other burners lay mysteriously barron but lit dangerously high. Vegetables were lying on the counterー chopped haphazardly and waiting for who knows what, but looking rather sad in the processーand a few empty _sake _bottles lay scattered carelessly behind them. In the middle of the mess was a tall, busty blonde haired woman who was standing with her back toward Naruto brandishing a butcher's knife in one hand and a pot of ('_Oh thank God'_) that red sauce in the other.

Naruto shook his head in fond amusement before schooling his features. "Whatcha doing Granny?" he asked as casually as possible.

Tsunade spun around, nearly slipping in the sauce and sloshing more from the pot she was holding in the process. "Brat," she barked, "come help me."

Naruto sighed in mock exasperation, but moved forward anyway, "Fine." Really, he had no idea how his grandmother could be such a clutz in the kitchen when she was a genius in the hospital.

…

"So," Tsunade said through a mouthful of spaghetti, "how was the academy today?"

Naruto shrugged, moving his own noodles around on his plate halfheartedly, "Boring."

"Ah," the older woman sighed to the heavens, "'Boring'. They teach you children so much nowadays. I'm so _glad _my only grandchild spends his time well." She eyed Naruto and received an amused smile in return.

"I sparred," Naruto finally relented, "and lost. Kiba was being an ass." His eyes turned away, but the subtle clenching of his jaw told his grandmother it wasn't in shame, but in restrained anger and frustration. She knew his reasons why, even if they were mostly unwarranted.

"The Inuzuka kid?" She questioned. "Want me to roughen him up a bit? Slip him something? I have my ways you know."

Naruto snickered and rolled his eyes. He knew that Tsunade, being head of Konoha's hospital, wouldn't do anything of the sort (at least he didn't think she would...) to some kid, who just happened to be an asshole bully. The older woman had put too much effort into getting where she was now and wasn't about to go against her morals even if she would most likely get away with it. "No thanks," he said, just in case.

"Hm," Tsunade hummed, pleased that she could at least lighten the mood somewhat. She knew tonight would be hard, but seeing Naruto acting so _un-_Naruto like was bumming her out. She took a large gulp out of her bottle of _sake, _hoping that it would ease the pain of what was to come a little more, before continuing. "So who kicked your ass? Was it Uchiha again?"

Naruto frowned, "No Granny. Sasuke-teme left six months ago, remember?" He eyed the bottle that was still clasped in his guardian's hand and wondered how empty it was. The other bottles lying on the counter earlier stated that the doctor had taken the day off todayー a fact that Naruto was jealous ofーand Naruto was surprised that the woman was still able to stand at this point.

"Ah, s'right," Tsunade waved her mistake off with a flick of her hand. She noticed Naruto's frown was now directed toward his food and decided to leave him to his own contemplation. Tsunade wondered why, of all the people in the world, her grandson had to latch onto an Uchiha.

The Uchihas had been a proud clan. Sporting one of the rarer dōjutsu known, the Sharingan, they made it their duty to keep their gifts and secrets inside their clan. When the council was informed by a fifteen year old boy that the clan had been keeping their omegas hidden and breeding them with only their alphas to keep their blood pure, instead of allowing their omegas to enter the gene pool with the rest of the village, the council was livid and were determined to put a stop to it. However, when that same boy told the council that his own clan was also killing its betas on the same day they came of age so they wouldn't 'taint' the rest of the clan, the council called for the entire Uchiha clan's demise. It was then that that same boy, Uchiha Itachi, alpha and pride and joy of the Uchiha clan, was given the task of eliminating his own clan and family. Itachi asked only that he be allowed to spare his young brother, who had yet to come of age. The council agreed, so the famed dōjutsu bloodline would not be lost forever. The village was then purged of the disgrace of the Uchiha clan's secret inbreeding, teaching other clans the punishments of hiding their omegas, and Itachi was able to avenge his cousin and best friend who had been unjustly murdered for being born a beta. Itachi and his (at the time) nine year old brother Sasuke had been moved to the outskirts of town where they lived until six months ago.

And where did Naruto fit in with all of this? Tsunade's grandson had a problem making friends, and even though she knew the blue eyed boy to be a bubbly ball of sunshine most of the time, he had tended to treat others with mistrust from a very young age. It was true that his mistrust stemmed from a place that Tsunade would sooner forgetーand more times than not would drown in alcohol when the memories got too painfulーbut that caution had morphed into hate and anger, both of which did not earn her boy any friends as he glared at them.

But Sasuke was different, because Sasuke _wasn't _Naruto's friend. Naruto had seen the other boy ignoring those around him and had somehow seen a comrade in arms, before the brunet had dismissed him and set Naruto's fiery temper loose. Tsunade remembered the day Naruto had come home ranting and raving about the '_teme' _in his class who thought he knew _everything _and 'thought he was _so cool'_, and Tsunade knew he would be alright. The more that Naruto complained over the years, the more Tsunade came to realize that her grandson had developed a grueling respect for the boy he had declared his rival. So, no, the two hadn't been friends, but they had some sort of bond that had hurt Naruto to break once Itachi took his brother away some months ago in preparation of Sasuke's own coming of age, and Tsunade now felt like a fool for bringing the boy up.

Sighing, the doctor took one last swig of her bottle before deciding she was done for the night.

…

"This feels weird," Naruto mumbled as he ran his fingers along the fitted sheet he was helping his grandmother cover his bed with.

"I know, baby," Tsunade replied as she smoothed out the last of the wrinkles on the white fabric before straightening and examining her handiwork, "but I got it from the hospital and I know it works well. It's waterproof and shouldn't tear once your claws come in, so you won't ruin your bed. I want to make you as comfortable as possible."

Naruto frowned at the pet name, knowing that his grandmother only used it when something bad was going to happen or when something bad had happened, and she was trying to comfort him. It wasn't helping.

"Now," Tsunade said, taking a deep breath and breaking Naruto out of his thoughts, "I have something for you." She moved to the wooden

chest that was just outside Naruto's bedroom door. He knew that it included mementos of his parents, but he rarely brought himself to look through it. After a moment of shuffling around the in large box, Tsunade pulled out a parcel tied with a yellow ribbon before handing it to Naruto. "This belonged to your father, and I know he and your mother wanted you to wear it tonight."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. He could barely remember anything about his father, the alpha had died when he was four and all he had was vague images of blond hair and blue eyes that matched his own when he looked in the mirror. When he was young, he would blame his mother's death on his fatherーif he hadn't left them alone then she wouldn't have been takenーbut after time his grandmother convinced him that the late Namikaze Minato would have given anything to stay with Naruto and his mother. It had been too late by then, of course, Naruto had already mutilated his face to try to wipe away his father's reflection; the three thin scars lining each of his cheeks were a testimony to the pain he held in his heart.

Opening the package revealed a simple baby blue nightgown. Naruto brought the garment up to his face and rubbed it gently against his scarred cheek, amazed to feel how soft it was. It smelled of rosemary and lavender due to the sachet his grandmother lined the chest with, but also slightly of mildew, all traces of his lost father long gone.

He glanced at his grandmother as she quietly shuffled out of the room, stating that she needed to grab something, before he stripped out of his day clothes and donned his father's gift.

The nightie had long, billowy, sleeves that clasped around his wrists in a very feminine way making Naruto wonder if it had really belonged to his father and not his mother, but he pushed that thought aside to examine the rest. It laced in the front down to his mid-chest and the entire thing ended mid-thigh. All in all, Naruto felt pretty exposed compared to his regular jumpsuit, but then again the material was nice...and it wasn't like anyone was going to see him.

"Oh, don't you look adorable," Tsunade's grin couldn't get any bigger and Naruto's face couldn't get any redder as the twelve year old tried in vain to pull the night dress down over his knees. Tsunade swatted his hands away and forced Naruto to stand up straight, brushing his hair out of his eyes with gentle fingers.

She smiled softly as she cupped his face. "You've grown so much," she murmured lowly, all traces of teasing lost in her voice. When Naruto rolled his eyes in youthful embarrassment and opened his mouth to reply Tsunade cut him off, "Your mother's gown had been green." She looked at him for a moment, ignoring his dazed expression and not needing to tell him why he couldn't use his mother's gown, before she turned away and went to her medical bag that she had left in the doorway.

"I'm going to give you this," Tsunade began, pulling a syringe already filled with yellowish liquid from her bag and moving back towards her grandson, "to dull the pain."

"Will it hurt?" Naruto swallowed thickly, his eyes on the needle as his grandmother gently pulled open the collar of his gown enough to expose his shoulder.

Tsunade's brows furrowed in concentration as she swabbed the small patch of bronzed skin with the alcohol wipe she had brought along from her medical bag. She knew Naruto wasn't talking about the shot; after all, the boy had had plenty in his life and had taken them like a champ. "Parts of it will," she answered honestly, knowing that Naruto wouldn't appreciate any lying to spare his feelings. "It hurts when your claws grow and for your mother it hurt when her cycle started. I don't know how it is for males, though I suppose it's the same. Mostly you'll just be uncomfortable."

Naruto nodded, feeling anticipation and dread creep into his stomach. His blunt nails clenched into the soft fabric at his hip as Tsunade put a bandaid over the pin prick wound the needle had left. He hadn't even felt the shot go in.

Quickly adjusting the blue nightie back into place and tying the ribbon in a delicate bow, Tsunade took a calming breath and composed herself. "There," she announced, "You're all set. You even have on the gown that an alpha wore when he came of age, so you have extra luck." The small smile on her face wasn't very convincing and she knew that her words weren't very helpful either, but she had done all that she could for now with her own nerves on edge. With a final nod and another brush of Naruto's fine blond hair through her long fingers, Tsunade headed towards the door.

"What are you going to be doing?" Naruto's voice was quiet, but he managed to keep the trembling out of it. He knew that his grandmother would be locking him in his room in case the urge to go out and procreate once his initial growth finished became too unbearable (the food tucked under his desk was testament to that), and she would also be locking all of the doors leading into the house should someone in heat leave the hunting grounds of the forest and enter the village. But that was three days, well technically three moons including tonight's, and Naruto had no idea what his grandmother (who was too old to go into heat) would do with herself in that time other than drink herself to death.

Tsunade paused in the doorway, her manicured hand on the frame as she looked over her shoulder with a gleam in her honey brown eyes, "I thought I'd practice my knitting. Can't let my skills as a surgeon slip while I'm lazing around the house, now can I?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You can't knit," he accused.

Tsunade scoffed, "Of course I can. All grandmother's can. It comes with the trade. Besides," she smiled cheekily, "I know how much you've wanted an ugly orange sweater for winter."

Naruto snickered and waved her away, "I look forward to that mess." His grandmother laughed as she shut his bedroom door and Naruto's smile dropped as soon as he heard the lock click into place.

He moved to his window and pulled the navy blue curtains aside to see the last rays of sunlight just leaving the sky. After checking to make sure the lock on the window was secure, he let the curtain fall back into place and turned to face his room. His blue eyes landed on the glossy white material of his bed and he moved to sit on it.

Once again Naruto frowned at the plasticy feeling of the sheet under his fingertips, but he forced himself to move up further on the bed until his back hit the wall and he tucked his legs to his chest under the nightgown so the baby blue material stretched tight around his small form. He eyed the fine cloth, allowing his thumb to brush along the fabric over his knee.

"An alpha, huh?" He mumbled, placing his head on his raised knees and closing his eyes to await the rising of the moon, "We'll see."

…

Naruto groaned and clutched his nightcap tighter to his chest, straining the thick black and white material until the goofy eyes that adorned the front morphed into mismatched nightmares. He rubbed his sweat soaked face into his mattress and whimpered when his skin _squeaked _against the material too loudly for his sensitive hears to handle and curled himself into a tighter ball.

Taking deep breaths to try to will away the overwhelming heat, Naruto whimpered again and brought his nightcap to his nose to try to cover up the scent of his grandmother that still lingered in his room. The smell nearly turned his stomach and Naruto's enhanced sense of smell made sure to pick up every trace. The subtle hint of lavender, a shampoo scent that Naruto had always been embarrassed to share with the older woman before, filled his nasal passages from the lining of his hat and was able to calm Naruto's nerves somewhat.

His shaking hadn't subsided, but Naruto was thirsty enough to reach out for the bottle of water that he always kept on his nightstand. His hand had almost reached the desired bottle when his eyes were drawn to the red on his fingers and he froze, a gasp leaving his mouth as his eyes widened in shock.

Even though he had turned the lights down low to save his eyes from the stinging the fluorescents now caused, Naruto could clearly see the blood that was pooling around his cuticles once he brought his fingers to his face for closer inspection. His heart rate picked up. He knew what was coming next.

Having a doctor as a grandmother who raised him from a very young age had given Naruto access to a lot of knowledge that most children his age normally didn't have. The fact that the genius surgeon got drunk on more than one occasion and decided to share a gruesome story with her innocent grandson over a nice family meal also helped. The point was, Naruto made sure to ask Tsunade to share (in very excruciating detail) her experience when she had come of age, and even though it had happened a long time ago (a fact that Tsunade didn't like mentioned) and was usually a very private moment, the woman had obliged. So when Naruto's thumb pressed against the nail of his pointer finger and applied slight pressure, he didn't scream when the entire nail came off under his fingertip revealing bare red and bloodied nerves underneath.

He could already see the tip of his claw poking out from underneath his cuticle and wondered if he should tear off his other nails as well to move them along faster, but decided against it. There was no need to make himself nauseous on top of everything else. Besides, his fingertips were only just starting to tingle, but they weren't hurting thanks to Tsunade's medication and according to his grandmother's information it would only take the nail about an hour to grow back.

The heat suddenly feeling unbearable, Naruto grunted and forced himself to sit up. He grabbed the small hand towel that had been left by his bed for his convenience and wiped it along his sweaty brow and the back of his neck before dropping it in his lap. His eyes landed on his nightcap and he nudged it off the bed with his foot, not wanting to get it bloody with the state his fingers were in. His grandmother's scent became barely noticeable as his breathing became labored, heavy open-mouthed pants that had him almost doubled over.

Then suddenly it felt like something deep inside him tore. It was hard to pinpoint the exact location in his hunched position, but Naruto felt it shoot from his tailbone to his navel and then it was over.

Naruto frowned, dabbing his brow with the towel again and shifting uncomfortably on the bed. He rubbed at his lower stomach feeling a little discomfort there before bringing his knees to his chest again to try to gain some form of comfort. The nightgown was tucked between his thighs this time to keep him cool from the heat, though Naruto now just wanted to strip the garment off.

Ten more minutes of panting and Naruto remembered that bottle of water and shifted to grab it, but once again froze when he moved his legs.

When his thighs separated releasing his gown, Naruto's eyes landed on the deep red splotch of his once spotless blue garment. His breath caught and his fingers shook as they hesitantly touched the spot, only to come away moist with a slight tint of glossy red. His voice caught in his throat and his head shook in denial as Naruto shifted in his seat to look at the bedding underneath him and the bottom of his nightie that were both stained equally red. His eyes widened in horror.

…

Tsunade's head jerked up from placing the last bomb tag on the bathroom window when she heard a blood curdling scream. She was off the toilet lid and sprinting to Naruto's room before her bag of supplies hit the floor.

She thanked the fact that the lock on Naruto's door was just one of those simple push locks that came unhinged when you turned the knob. She had installed the thing last week in anticipation of this weekend's moon and hadn't wanted anything too complicated. With a simple twist of the knob, the dark pine door was thrown open and Tsunade barreled into the room.

The first thing that assaulted her was the smell and Tsunade had to take a step back as it hit her like a brick wall. There were few things in their species that Tsunade was thankful for, one of them being that even in the blind peak of heat _no one _will move to mate with their direct kin. The scents just didn't mix and smelled unappealing to each other. That being said, even though Tsunade was no longer capable of going into heat, the beta could still recognize that base smell anywhere.

"No," Tsunade's head was already shaking in denial when she spotted young omega sitting shivering in his own pool of blood on the bed, and she didn't hesitate to rush over to him and collect him into her arms. Naruto was already crying, but Tsunade still pulled him into her lap, not caring about the mess, and started rocking him back and forth as she petted his golden locks.

Naruto only cried harder, clutching to the front of his grandmother's shirt as if his life depended on it. "Don't l-let th-them take me," he managed to wheeze out between painful breaths.

"Oh," Tsunade hugged Naruto tighter to her bosom, "No. Shhh, I'm not going to let them take you. Shhhh," she hushed again, her words soothing but strong, and continued rocking and petting. '_Not you,' _she promised, '_I can't lose you too.'_

…

* * *

…

"Are you sure this is going to work, Granny?" Naruto asked in a low voice as he followed closely beside Tsunade through an alleyway that would let out near the main street.

Tsunade glanced down at the golden mop of her grandson's head, the frown maring her face matched his own. "Of course," she stated, wishing she felt as confident as she sounded.

Naruto remained quiet as they continued down the dimly lit corridor, his steps only faltered once they came to the mouth of the alley where he suddenly stopped.

Tsunade nearly stumbled once she realized Naruto was no longer next to her and she quickly spun around, her eyes instantly landing on the orange clad boy half hidden in the shadows of the morning light.

Sighing, Tsunade moved back into the alleyway, glad no one happened to be walking by at the moment. Grasping Naruto's shoulders, she looked straight into his eyes. "Look," she said, her tone all business, "The neighbors didn't look twice at you when we left the house; and believe me, they would have. I made those blockers just in case something like this happened. I have confidence in my skills as a doctor, and I would hope that you do too."

Naruto released the plump lip from between his teeth and took a deep breath before nodding. The last few days had been hell, but his grandmother had stayed by his side through the entire weekend and like all of the truly important things in his life, Naruto knew he could trust the woman's judgement. If she said no one would be able to smell the fact that he was an omega, than he could believe her.

With a satisfied sigh, Tsunade gave a quick squeeze to Naruto's shoulders before releasing him, turning, and exiting the alley, this time without a doubt knowing Naruto was following close behind her.

As they turned a corner and finally made it onto the main street Naruto's hand clenched onto Tsunade's elbow when suddenly they were surrounded by excited villagers. The older woman knew that the boy was not normally one to cower, in fact he would normally throw himself into a hazardous situation screaming obnoxiously at the top of his lungs, but the last few days had been hard— piling up on a number of bad years if she were being honest— and with a glance over her shoulder she couldn't blame the boy.

Naruto's gaze was locked on what was known as "The Omega Tower", whose dark green peak could be seen from this road standing proudly next to the Hokage tower. He knew that some of his classmates were already inside, those unlucky few that had been born into the submissive role like himself, to never see the light of day again until they were released to breed in four years time.

Images of those particular "breeding nights" crossed Naruto's mind—the running, the crying, the blood, his mother's final words— and he pushed the thoughts away with a shake of his head. His attention instead focusing on the people around him as the tower grew distant.

Much to his relief, no one was paying any attention to him, a testament to the blocking medication his grandmother had injected him with that morning. She said it had to be administered subcutaneously because it would be fast-acting that way, but luckily he should only need it every two weeks (though that was in theory since the doctor hadn't exactly tried the drug on an omega, or anyone for that matter, before). Either way, Naruto was satisfied with the results.

That is until Naruto felt his breath catch as he fully took in the scents around him, dizziness trying to take over his being, causing him to tighten his hold on Tsunade's sleeve.

He was _surrounded _by betas and alphas, their scents never before seeming so potent nor affecting him so much. He was suddenly feeling too warm, and he wasn't sure if he liked the scents or not. Some smelled better than others, but they were all just kind of making him feel strange.

No.

He decided. He didn't like _any _of them, they were all horrible. Naruto released a low growl in irritation. '_Dammit,' _he mentally cursed, grinding his teeth while he tried to hold his breath. It was bad enough that he hated them all, now he had to put up with this too?

"Just breathe," Tsunade murmured when she noticed Naruto's reddening face.

'_Though, I guess it is better than the alternative,' _Naruto mused as he released his breath, taking one last glance back at the green tower before they entered a tent set up at the end of the street. He made sure to take little breaths through his mouth to avoid letting in as much of the putrid smell as possible, but it was to no avail. The air in the tent was already humid due to that Spring morning's unusual warmth and the number of people crowding the inside, and the mingling scents became near unbearable as he willed himself to push past it. His anger grew as Tsunade dragged him over to the far side of the tent where the lines seemed to be the shortest.

Naruto kept his gaze focused on the pants of the man in front of him who stood proudly with his arm over his son's shoulders as he chatted with the woman one line over holding her own daughter's hand. The blond vaguely wondered if he knew either of the two children, his class was large— about fifty students— so there was a chance, but there was also another classroom that held the remainder of the children in his age group and the two classes rarely mingled. Either way, it wasn't like Naruto had any special connection with any of his classmates and the scent of the alpha boy and beta girl just made him clench his teeth tighter, his gaze not lifting from the black pants.

When they finally reached the front of the line Tsunade's nerves were wound even tighter than they had been before they left the house. She wasn't exactly a people person (in all honesty, her bedside manner was atrocious and as the head of the hospital she tended to avoid the patients while they were conscience as much as possible), and smiling and nodding happily while the parents surrounding her and her grandson showed off their alpha and beta children wasn't exactly her idea of a good time.

_They _could be happy. _They _could be proud. _They _could keep their children.

Tsunade knew that having an omega child was supposed to make you feel proud, she had felt so herself once— the knowledge that your child was one of the limited few with the ability to bear children, to carry on your species and very _existence_, was a rare gift to be thankful for—, but after losing so much again, and again, and again; seeing the horrors it brought, Tsunade could not and would not allow herself to feel that way again. She would protect what was hers this time without fail, even with horror and sadness and pity clouding her heart.

"Name?"

Tsunade and Naruto's attention was drawn to the beta sitting behind the desk. His shaggy black hair was held out of his face by a navy blue headband wrapped around his forehead displaying the number '7' in the center indicating their line number. The majority of his face was hidden since he hadn't bothered looking up at them, but a white strip of a bandage could be seem spanning over the bridge of his nose.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade stated.

"U-zu-ma-ki," Kotetsu wrote the surname carefully before adding the first. He scratched at the bandage on his chin, wishing he could just go home (How did he get roped into volunteering today anyway?), before asking in a bored tone, "Second gender?"

"Alpha," the word was growled out so aggressively that Tsunade (who had already had the 'B' formed on her lips) closed her mouth with a snap and Kotetsu to looked up in surprise.

Both betas turned to look at the small blond who was standing there with clenched fists and burning eyes, currently glaring holes in the desk.

Kotetsu took in the boy's small stature and raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" He leaned forward to try to get a whiff of the kid—there were just too many damn people in the tent to catch a proper scent— when the piercing blue gaze landed on him causing him to reconsider.

'_Damn, this kid can glare,' _Kotetsu thought to himself as he adjusted his position and instead elbowed the man next to him. "Hey, Izumo."

Brushing his brown hair out of his eye, only to have it fall back in place, Izumo grunted in irritation and looked over at his best friend, "What?"

Kotetsu pointed at Naruto, "The kid says he's an alpha."

Izumo looked at Naruto for a moment, the way he was practically steaming out of his ears, and then shrugged, "So? Good for him. Oh hey, Doc."

Tsunade nodded to the bandana wearing man before clearing her throat, "I understand your confusion," she started. She had been thinking about this as Naruto began to show signs of stunted growth throughout the years and she was confident with her excuse for him, especially because it wasn't entirely a lie. "Naruto has acquired both his father and his mother's blood limits. The Namikaze speed and the Senju healing, both of which take up a great amount of energy. Those combined have caused his growth to be stunted."

The answer was simple, direct, and they had no reason to question the words of a doctor. After all, both blood limits were famed in the village; Tsunade herself was living proof of the Senju blood limit, her body seeming no older than thirty-five was hiding her true age of fifty-one.

Izumo waved his hand in a 'there you have it' manner, but Kotetsu looked at Naruto in awe before writing his status next to his name. "Report in the large training field behind the academy in an hour for briefing," he stated.

As he watched the two blondes walk away, Kotetsu turned to his friend, "Hey, 'Zumo, how'd you know he was an alpha before her explanation?"

Izumo shrugged, sneaking a finger under the edge of his number '6' labeled bandana to scratch at his sweaty forehead, "The kid was just about ready to _murder _you if you hadn't shut up. Tsk, young alphas are always so temperamental."

"Huh," Kotetsu nodded, his eyes drifting around the room to some of the other young men and women who seemed more antsy than normal. Yeah, he guessed that was true.

…

"Welcome alphas," a large man with a bandana over his shaved head called, his commanding voice carrying past the perimeter of the field. He allowed his dark piercing eyes to rove over the young men and women assembled before continuing, "I'd like to congratulate you on graduating from the academy."

Naruto held back a scoff. Everyone in his class had had the same training, some trying harder than others to succeed, but the only ones able to actually _graduate _were the alphas. How fair was that? He eyed the bulky man from his place in the second row, noticing the way the scars tearing across the older alpha's face made him look even more intimidating than his aura, and knew he had made the right decision to say he was too an alpha.

"My name is Morino Ibiki," said the alpha, "and I will be your commanding officer while you train for the next five years. As alpha we are given the task of defending our home and our people, of hunting in times of need, and escorting important materials and dignitaries in and out of Konoha." He paused for a moment to make sure he had everyone's attention before pointing to the leaf emblem etched into the forehead protector on his bandana. "_This_ is our pride as alpha. _This _is what we are protecting, what we fight for. Understand?" His voice cracked across the ground causing every male and female present to stand at attention.

"Yes sir!" they all managed to shout in unison.

Morino nodded in satisfaction, "Good. Now pair up for sparring. Your training starts now."

Naruto couldn't quite suppress his small smile once everyone started moving. He had to admit, he _liked _his commander (even if he was a dirty alpha). The man hadn't ranted and raved about how awesome alphas were, about how much better and stronger they were than everyone else. He simply told them that they had a job that was more important than themselves.

Naruto knew he was being a hypocrite, _his _job as an omega was to make babies, but he couldn't. He'd just have to contribute the village another way. If he could prove that an omega could fight as well as an alpha, that they weren't as weak and defenseless as everyone thought, then maybe he could change things.

"You promised me a fight pipsqueak," Kiba's voice from behind him caused Naruto to turn and he realized that a lot of the other students were eyeing him almost hungrily. '_Probably thinking I'll be an easy win in front of the commander,' _Naruto mused. They had given him curious stares, some of them even asking him if he was in the wrong place, when he had first arrived, but now that he was clearly there to stay he was like fresh meat.

Kiba though... Kiba had always looked at Naruto that way, and now the brunet looked even more like an animal with his claw and angry snarl wrinkling his brow. His form was a little bulkier than before, but little else had changed. It was most likely that he had just been insanely horny once his heat started, while Naruto had gone through hell.

Naruto could smell the pheromones wafting off the other boy even from this distance—young and unchecked—and a part of his mind was telling him that _this_ was a strong alpha, but his body was too young to feel any sort of stirring besides an uncomfortable warming in his belly that he quickly tried to rub away with hand to his stomach.

The thought of having any sort of attraction to this creep disgust him to his core and a slow smile crept over Naruto's face at the thought of tearing the other boy apart, his claws flexed in anticipation. They were in the big leagues now, no more toy kunai for them. "Bring it on."

The two squared off, as did everyone else in the large field, and they _were_ in fact given dulled kunai. They were told that they were supposed to start trying with disarming the other opponent and then grapple them to the ground and pin them. It sounded simple enough, they had done it a hundred times at the academy.

As Kiba had not actually fought Naruto before, he had not been expecting the sheer magnitude of his speed, and as Naruto had not actually fought Kiba before, he hadn't realized that colliding with the Inuzuka's bulk was like running into a brick wall. Both opponents were instantly thrown off balance, losing their kunai, and forced into hand to hand combat.

Kiba charged Naruto with a roar of frustrated anger.

…

For the second time in three days Naruto found himself face first in the dirt with someone perched on his back. He was breathing hard, the weight on his torso not helping at all, and his body hurt in various places.

"It seems you like this position," Kiba snickered, though he too was panting.

Naruto growled, swinging his fist behind his back to claw at the boy.

Kiba hissed when his thigh was grazed and grabbed the offending hand, pinning it to Naruto's spine. He grinned in triumph and leaned over the blond to taunt him some more and frowned, "Hm, you don't smell like an alpha. Why can't I smell you at all?"

Naruto's eyes widened as the boy on his back moved his nose closer to his neck to take a bigger inhale of his absent scent.

"Inuzuka, either mount that alpha or get off of him," the bored call made both boys look up. On the edge of the field, leaning against a wooden pillar, was a silver haired man with a mask covering half his face and an eyepatch over one eye. He held an orange book lazily in one hand, but he ignored it for the moment to look pointedly at the boys on the ground.

It was then that snickering could be heard, only growing louder by the moment, and Kiba looked around to see that they had somehow become the center of attention. He looked down at Naruto as the older alpha's words sank in and his ears bled red with embarrassment before he quickly scrambled off of the blond.

As for Naruto, he rolled onto his back, listening to the other children poke fun at Kiba for trying something funny with another alpha, and took a deep breath now that he knew his secret was safe. He would be safe.

A shadow fell over him and Naruto blinked. "Hey," it was a female voice, "I'm Ino."

The sunlight shifted around the girl enough for Naruto to see short blond hair held up in a bun and pale blue eyes that matched the sky. "I know," he stated, "we were in the same class, right?"

Naruto didn't actually need the confirmation, he knew who this girl was and he had never liked her. She had been one of the top contenders in their class to shout out her love for Uchiha Sasuke, her loud voice only being equal to one Haruno Sakura. It had always been a little hard to tell where either girl would end up once maturity hit (girls always were tricky in Naruto's opinion). Ino's aggression only seemed to surface when Sasuke was involved and that was mainly toward Sakura as their rivalry was nearly as epically brutal as Naruto and the Uchiha's own. Naruto didn't know where Sakura ended up— be she beta or omega, since her absence on the field proved her not an alpha—, but, now that he thought about it, he wasn't surprised to see Ino as an alpha.

The girl smiled and Naruto realized that even though new alphas (and alphas in general) seemed to have anger issues, they could quell them around each other. '_The whole village would be doomed if all the alphas were always at each other's throats all the time,' _Naruto guessed. It probably also helped that they had all just let off some steam through sparring, a good idea via the commander. Naruto, himself, felt better even though he had lost.

"Yeah," Ino confirmed, she held out a hand to help Naruto up and he accepted it with only a moment of hesitation. "That was an awesome fight. I can't believe how fast you are."

"Thanks," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He wasn't used to compliments outside of his grandmother or maybe Iruka-sensei, so he felt a little weird. He knew he was faster than most of his classmates thanks to his Namikaze blood limit, though he hadn't even come close to mastering his speed yet. Naruto knew that he may seem fast to a child, but compared to a seasoned veteran his movements were sluggish and predictable (a fact that Sasuke had pointed out early on in their relationship), and that thought only pushed Naruto to become better.

He took in the girl's appearance; she was taller than him by six inches at least and her shoulders were also a little broader, but she had a nice face. He tried to recall if he had ever actually talked to her before. Probably not. Her obsession with Sasuke had created a barrier between them that neither had cared to cross. Her scent wasn't as overbearing as Kiba's though, so that was a plus. "You have the uh, mind control thingy, right?"

Ino laughed at the name choice, but nodded anyway, "Yeah, mind transfer. It's a Yamanaka blood limit."

"Cool," Naruto nodded. He couldn't believe he was having such a casual conversation with an alpha. Naruto only talked to people (alpha or beta) when he had to, outside of a very select few that he trusted, so this was a big deal. But, he surmised, he had decided to become one of them, for better or worse, so he had to cope. To think that the girl would approach him after he had lost a fight, maybe it wouldn't be as hard as he had thought to adapt.

Still… Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. Deciding that he had had enough 'coping', he turned to walk away from the blond alpha.

"Ah, wait," Ino said, grabbing Naruto's arm, "you're hurt." She didn't notice the way the shorter blond stiffened in her grasp.

Naruto looked down at his torn shirt, the blood soaking through making a big ugly stain, and blinked, "Huh."

Ino tisked, "I saw Kiba swipe at you a few times pretty good. I'll take you to the nurse," and moved to drag him to the school building.

"No, it's fine," Naruto stopped her, digging his feet into the ground. He didn't want to go anywhere with anyone. At her look of confusion that bordered on annoyance, Naruto lifted up his shirt to reveal his wound free torso that was only blemished with a thin layer of dried blood. As Ino's eyes grew wide, Naruto lowered the shirt again. "Don't worry about me," he said before moving away to go find some water.

…

"Only nineteen this year," Kakashi stated as he watched the small blond boy walk away from the taller girl.

"Uh huh," Morino hummed.

"That's not very much," the silver haired alpha continued, "and I hear that there were even fewer omega this year."

"Uh huh," Morino hummed again.

"But there's potential," Kakashi mused, pulling out his little orange book and finding his saved page. "Things will be interesting with this group."

"Yes it will," Morino agreed as he pushed himself away from the wooden post he had been leaning against to march with determination towards his trainees. "Alphas!"

…

* * *

…

"Everyone is born with a uterus and a set of ovaries," Tsunade said, the annoyance in her voice barely hidden. "However," she continued, "once maturity hits, those become obsolete for an alpha and a beta, immediately beginning to deteriorate and be absorbed into the body as nutrients. On the other hand, for omegas the lining on their uterus breaks down and their menstrual cycle begins. In male omega, a small seam opens along the inside on their rectum that then inflames during heats to allow proper penetration and inception." She made a motion with her hand that looked somewhat like a flower blooming and decided to leave the rest up to the imaginations of everyone else.

The doctor then paused for a moment, her eyes scanning around the faces— rolling her eyes at the few grimaces of the men in the group— before her gaze (that was really more of a glare) once again landed on the source of her annoyance. Honestly, this was grade school stuff. What were they teaching these people? You would think that a group of young doctors would know the basic differences of their biological foundation. But no, one of them just _had _to ask proving Tsunade wrong. She didn't care if they were still in training, it was common knowledge.

"Now," Tsunade continued once she was satisfied that there were no more stupid questions coming her way. "As you all know, the last major heat occurred roughly nine and a half months ago. That means that we will be having most of our omega coming in to deliver at forty weeks. I say _most _because some of those babies will not be wanting to wait that long, so prepare yourselves. It will be hectic around here." Tsunade thought about her own grandson who had come nearly a whole month early, his eagerness to join the world had scared the shit out of all of them.

She searched the faces of the assembled betas, checking to see if any looked too nervous. One or two looked like they might vomit, she'd have to move them out of the maternity ward. In all honesty, the new ones were never quite prepared for the stress of the post Spring heat deliveries— She secretly thanked those second and third time parents who chose to 'get busy' during the Autumnal Equinox, though the heat affected everyone much less, but still allowed for proper inception—, and Tsunade was just glad that she still had some senior members on staff to help out.

"While you are assisting with the deliveries— and you will be _assisting_, not delivering, I'm not going to having any screw ups because some newbie wanted to try to be a big shot doctor— there are some important things to remember once the baby comes. If the sire is an alpha, hand the newborn to him or her as soon as the infant is cleaned. I cannot stress this enough; alphas are very protective of what is theirs— it is the reason why they keep the same mate— and they will not hesitate to attack you if they feel any threat towards their offspring." She paused for a moment, contemplating her words, "But if the sire is a beta, please hand the child to its omega mother. Their time together is precious." Tsunade's tone was soft as she remembered her own beautiful dark haired omega from so long ago, the other grandmother that Naruto never got to know.

Clearing her throat, Tsunade shook her head, wiping the thought from her mind. Now was not the time. She straightened her posture and her eyes hardened, becoming once again that of a seasoned doctor and surgeon— head of Konoha's hospital.

"Alright," She snapped, her voice strong and sure, "Go get this ward in order."

….

* * *

…

"Hey, who's that?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder to where Ino pointed, to see a tall man with cascading white hair standing on the far side of the training field. Naruto squinted to get a better look at the older man, who seemed to be just staring at them with his arms crossed over his bulky frame, before giving up with a shrug. "Dunno," he said, returning to his post-training stretches.

Ino frowned, giving the stranger one last glance, before returning to her own stretches.

It had been nearly a year since Naruto's first heat, and although his plan to infiltrate the alpha world seemed to go off without a hitch— he had somehow become friends with Ino due to the girl's insistence, and Kiba had backed off considerably— that fateful day when he had discovered that he was an omega still seemed fresh in his mind and as the next big heat drew nearer he could feel himself becoming more anxious.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when Commander Morino released them for the day. He said goodbye to Ino and waved to a few of his 'fellow alpha' and left for home.

…

It was when Naruto was almost home that he once again saw the white haired stranger, but this time the man was up in a tree. Overlooking the public baths. Where the women bathed, to be more exact.

Naruto slowed his steps to a halt as he observed the man. The guy was crouched on a branch that hung just over the fence of the bathhouse, the majority of his clothing was green but the leaves helped hide him the rest of the way. Naruto couldn't see what he was doing from his place behind him, but he could see the man's shouldered shaking, presumably in giggles of perverted pleasure. (Gods Naruto hoped he was giggling…)

A slow mischievous grin snuck up on Naruto's face and the next thing he knew he was using his strong legs to propel himself upward to land silently on the branch above the old man.

As it turned out the man _was _giggling. What Naruto hadn't been expecting was the book he was cradling in his lap and writing furiously in as if he was jerking off a hard one.

Naruto raising an eyebrow, "Watcha doin'?"

"Wha-?!"

Naruto watched in surprised amazement as the man jumped, shocked out of his concentration, before slipping and falling. The fall was soon followed by a loud splash, quickly followed up by even louder screaming and shrieking (and hitting), before Naruto burst into a fit of laughter.

…

"You found him _where_?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowed at the white haired man that had followed Naruto home.

"At the bathhouse," Naruto snickered, looking between the two adults, "I offered him a towel." And it was true; after Naruto had finished laughing (which conveniently was sometime after the older man escaped from the hoard of angry women) he had felt a little bad for scaring the guy into the water and had offered him a way to dry off. It was strange, even though the man was an alpha, Naruto didn't feel threatened by him in any way. '_It must be because I've spent so long around them,'_ he mused. After all, their scents were hardly noticeable now.

"And what were you doing there?" Tsunade's gaze didn't change.

The man gave a lopsided grin, "_Bathing."_

Tsunade tsked and hit the man over the head, "Don't lie to me. You were doing it _again, _weren't you?"

"OW! You're so mean Tsunade! That was uncalled for!" the man cried, covering his head with his hands.

Tsunade put her hands on her hips, "I'll hit you again if you don't shut up."

Naruto blinked as his grandmother bantered back and forth with the stranger. "Granny, you know this _ero-sennin_?"

Tsunade's lips curled into a grinch-like smile as the white haired man squawked in indignation. "Yes Naruto, unfortunately I do know this perverted hermit," her eyes twinkled at the glare she received. "The is my brother, and your grand uncle Jiraiya."

Jiraiya grinned at Naruto, "Hey, kid."

Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the older man before him. The man looked to be at least over sixty, judging by the wrinkles lining his mouth (and Naruto would bet all the money in his frog coin purse that that strange forehead protector the man was sporting was covering up even more) and his large nose (that housed that largest wart that Naruto had _ever _seen) just spoke of his age. If the pervert thought that the thin red lines running down his face were making him look younger, then he was sorely mistaken, the tattoos didn't help at all in Naruto's opinion.

"But you're so _old," _Naruto stated.

Tsunade's laughter filled the living room while Jiraiya growled in annoyance.

"I'll have you know," the white haired man said, "that I am only a year older than this old bat." He gestured to Tsunade and immediately had to dodge a punch. "While your Granny uses her blood limit for stupid things, like keeping herself looking young, I have had to use mine to heal myself."

"That's because _you _are a moron and always go out and get yourself hurt, while _I _am useful and heal people," Tsunade shot back.

"Don't talk about 'usefulness'," Jiraiya growled, "I served my time, I protected my people."

Jiraiya's voice was low, but his teeth were grit and it became obvious to Naruto that the two adults no longer remembered that he was in the room.

"You _left,_" Tsunade accused, hurt evident in her voice. She opened her mouth to say more when she noticed Naruto still standing there. "Sweety, you're all sweaty from training. Go take a shower," she motioned with her hand towards the bathroom, clearly dismissing him.

The use of the pet name made Naruto know that he couldn't argue with his grandmother no matter how much he wanted to and he nodded, giving one last glance at the man that was his grand uncle, before heading down the hallway.

It was probably the fastest shower that Naruto had ever taken in his life. Normally the thirteen year old would spend up to an hour scrubbing himself raw trying to rid himself of the rancid alpha, and occasional beta, smell, but tonight he had better things to do.

After quickly running across the hall to his room to slip on a pair of sleep shorts, Naruto quietly made his way down the corridor to where he could hear his grandmother's voice. He stopped just outside Tsunade's bedroom door, frowning at the fact that the two adults had moved rooms to seek privacy instead of staying in the open living room where he could easily walk in on them.

"- a year ago," Tsunade was saying, frustration clear in her voice. It looked like their argument from earlier was over and they had moved onto other things. "A _year, _Jiraiya. Where were you?"

Jiraiya sighed as Naruto moved closer to the door. "I know. I got your letter, obviously. I was on the other side of the country working."

Tsunade scoffed. Jiraiya sighed, exhausted, "Look, I got here as fast as I could, ok?"

Naruto could tell by his grandmother's silence that _no, _it was not 'ok', and that she most likely was glaring at the man.

Jiraiya huffed, "You know you're insane, right? He's an _omega-" _

"I don't care!" Tsunade's shout cut her brother's protests off. "You've seen him, he can do it. Just train him. Make him stronger, I don't care how long it takes." Her voice was getting ragged, a sign of her desperation.

"Tsunade," Jiraiya's voice was hesitant.

"NO! I _can't. _I won't -" The rest of her words were cut off when the door was closed in Naruto's face. Whether or not the two adults in the room knew he had been listening, he didn't know, but one thing was certain. He hadn't heard that kind of anguish in his grandmother's voice in a long timeーfor a year to be preciseー and he knew that this time the pain behind her words wasn't for him. That knowledge made Naruto decide right then that if his grand uncle decided to train him, then he would go with him. He would get stronger for himself and his loved ones so there would be no more pain.

* * *

A.N. If you have any questions then let me know! I tried to make everything as clear as possible throughout the story. See you soon with chapter 2, part 1 of "The Bastard"!


	2. Part 1- March

Welcome back to B&B, better known as The Bitch and the Bastard! I'm so happy to see that you guys are liking it so far! In last chapter you got to see that Puberty is a 'Bitch', and now you get to see that Mating's a 'Bastard'! A little something about the remainder of the fic: All the chapters very in length because they are broken up by months (this one being March) and a different amount of things happen in each month. I had written this fic as a giant one-shot, but had to break it up because it's 100 pages...

**Warning!** This chapter contains attempted rape. Just try to remember that these people are going off of animal instinct, to it's not looked at as rape to them (it's pretty jacked up...)

Please R&R and enjoy!

2\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 1)

March

_It was when Naruto was sixteen that his heat changed. _

He had come back to the village six months prior, just a few days after the previous Fall's heat had ended and his cycle had passed so he could inject his blockers. His two and a half years spent training with Jiraiya had been well worth it. As it turned out the perverted old alpha had more than just a boner hiding under his clothesーyears of training to be a fighter had left him fit and agileーand in turn Naruto had sharpened his own body, mind, and skills.

…

"Hey Naruto! Where have you been? I thought for sure you found yourself an omega," laughed Takeshi, one of the alpha from Naruto's squadron.

Naruto gave a small smile, eyeing the group of alphas assembled, as he set down his water bottle and towel on the edge of the field. "Hey, no luck for me this time," he heaved an overly dramatic sigh, shrugging his shoulders. Honestly, it was the first heat that they were allowed to participate in the mating ritual and they all thought he would have found someone to mount? With the ratio of omega vs beta and alpha, these young alpha had a very slim chance of mating with one of their peers.

"So where have you been?" Another boy asked, this one too had not been in Naruto's academy class; though with the hours he had been forced to spend with those students, he found them to be generally nice people. For alphas.

Naruto shrugged, "I was helping Granny at the hospital. A lot of betas got hurt over the weekend." It was true that quite a few fights would break out during the mating heat. With such a limited number of omega it was kind of a fight for the finish situation. However, Naruto's four day tardiness wasn't due to his kindness with the injured, but with the fact that after the weekend long heat, he had bled like a geyser. He hadn't had to make an excuse after his first Fall heat because everyone had been given a few days off to get used to their bodies changes, but now he was out of luck.

The snickering of his 'fellow' alpha was enough for him to know that his lie was well accepted. Claiming that he had been nursing _beta_ instead of alpha spoke to their pride, and the fact that they all knew how much of a hard ass his grandmother was made the lie even more believable. It didn't matter that an alpha was doing the work of a beta.

"Not a good enough reason to be late Uzumaki," Commander Morino's voice drifted across the field, making the young alphas who had assembled to greet their missing friend flinch. "Laps, now."

Naruto groaned, '_Stupid body,' _before taking off along the perimeter of the field at a pace much slower than what he was capable of. He'd just have to come up with something better next time.

That day he noticed that both Kiba and Ino were missing.

…...

* * *

…...

Naruto had undergone his first full length heat before leaving with Jiraiya on his training journey. While the Autumnal heat had only seemed to really affect him at night, the heat flashes decreasing to bearable during the day, the Vernal's lasted throughout the entire weekend before resolving into a fit of painful cramps the like of which Naruto had never felt before in his life.

As it turned out, his grandmother had acquired a cabin about three miles SouthEast of Konoha sometime prior to his maturity and had been cultivating flowers around it in her free time. Naruto had noticed upon first approach that those flowers let off an incredibly heavy odor that clogged the nose and dulled the senses. It was a perfect location for an omega in hiding to be blocker-free while in heat. And it had gone fine, until suddenly Naruto no longer want to stay inside.

In previous years, the three day heat cycle of the Vernal Equinox had felt much like Naruto's coming of age: unbearable warmth that left him shaking with enhanced senses, but with the added bonus of a tingling in his loins that made him want to play with himself a little and a moisture in his ass that he knew didn't belong there.

It wasn't that bad, when he was fifteen he had finally succumbed to the point of rubbing himself until his member was swollen and hard, and had felt some relief once his hand pumped him to completion. He was able to patiently wait out the heat until his menstrual cycle started, bringing him cramps and achy muscles.

However, once he turned sixteen his own wandering hands suddenly weren't enough. Naruto needed more. He paced the small cabin, panting and sweating, as he tried to restrain himself from running out into the woods to find release. It had made sense to him then why it was at that age that all the young omega's (and in retrospect alphas and betas) would finally be released to breed for the first time, their bodies just hadn't been ready to mate yet and he guessed the village didn't want a whole bunch of twelve and thirteen year olds running around getting pregnant (babies having babies was never a good thing no matter how much the population needed it), but that fact changed nothing for him. His teeth grit, his claws digging fissures into his palms leaving bleeding pinpricks that healed over as soon as he released his grip, while he battled with himself.

Though Naruto's overall hate had subsided as he had matured, learning the ways of the world and growing closer to the people around him, his passion still remained. So the battle between mind and body was simple, Naruto would _not _allow _anyone _to touch him. He had held onto his goal of proving that he was more than just an omega, some weak gender whose only purpose in life was to bring pleasure and make babies, and now at the age of twenty he held that same resolve.

…...

Naruto groaned and got up to pace around the room once more. His leg had been bouncing in place once again, his restless muscles were driving him insane. He needed to get up and move, and the cramped cabin was giving him little reprieve as he all too soon reached one end of the room and pivoted to make his way back to the other side. It didn't help that it was like a _thousand degrees_ in there!

Naruto pulled at his light cotton shirt, fanning himself with it as he grabbed a damp towel on his next pass and wiped it along his smoldering skin with a shaking hand as he continued his directionless trek. He glanced at the door again, feeling an unwelcome spike of arousal run through him and growled, turning away. He had already jerked off more times than he cared to count that dayーand even more the days beforeーand he was still feeling unsatisfied. His body wanted something _more. _Always more.

"Just get through today," he mumbled to himself, knowing that come sunrise tomorrow the heat would leave. At this point he didn't care if he bled for a month, he just wanted his boner to go away.

An hour or so before dusk found Naruto shuffling through his small pantry. He always became overwhelmingly hungry on the last day of the heat cycle due to the number of calories his body burned off. He would find himself craving red meats at an unhealthy level, probably to substitute the blood-loss he would be sustaining the following days (since he sure as hell wouldn't be needing to be putting on padding for any upcoming pregnancies) and had always made sure to keep a supply of jerky in the cabin for such times.

Naruto frowned at the shelf that normally held his supply of meats, his stomach growling angrily as if it were rebelling against what his eyes were telling him. The shelf was empty.

"Fuu-ck," Naruto drew a hand down his face in frustration and exited the pantry to return to his pacing.

He didn't last longer than a half an hour before Naruto's hunger got the best of him and he looked out the lone window that rested high along the wall in the bedroom. The sun had set and the moon was high, though its light was hidden behind the trees shading the cabin's roof.

Naruto was panting heavier than before, trying to get as much air in to cool down his sweltering body as possible. The heaviness between his legs and the overwhelming urge to touch himself all over did not mix well with his rumbling stomach, but he supposed his body was still trying to get that last hurrah in before the heat ended. After all, as an omega he should have been fucked long ago.

Mind clouded with the need to nourish his overstimulated body, Naruto took only a moment to come to a decision. The cabin was three miles away from the village, at least twice the distance of the known hunting grounds for the villagers seeking mates. That, plus the fact that it was the _last _night of the three day heat making it very unlikely that there would be any stragglers hoping to find a partner, caused Naruto to grab the heavy cloak that hung from the hook next to the front door before donning it and tearing out of the cabin.

…

* * *

…

Sasuke growled as he shoved another low hanging branch out of his face, and continued making his way deeper into the woods. He knew he was being loud, but the stupid deer that he had been hunting had somehow gotten away and that fact alone had pissed him off to no end.

No. The fact that his stupid asshole brother had kicked him out so he could fuck that annoying as hell blond omega that he had picked up in Earth Country three months prior was the reason Sasuke was pissed. Sasuke _could _have been jerking off in his own room, not out here at night trying to work off his excess energy by hunting some elusive wildlife while sporting a boner. Sure he could just lean against a tree and rub one off, but he was an Uchiha dammit, and he wouldn't lower himself enough to masturbating in the woods like an animal. Even if the idea was tempting.

At least it was a cool night, the soft breeze blowing through the trees felt amazing on Sasuke's overheated skin, and the fact that his dick was only half hard allowed him to at least focus on his missing prey (though he knew from past experiences that just one touch would turn him into a whimpering mess). He hated that all of his senses were enhanced during heat, it made simply _existing _bothersome.

Closing his onyx eyes, Sasuke took a deep calming breath, trying to cool his over sensitized nerves and slow his racing pulse. His lungs froze, his nostrils flaring when they were hit by the subtle scent of venison overlayed by something much more appealing.

A low growl escaped his throat as Sasuke's eyes opened, his pupils dilating to take in as much light as possible as he began to move. It felt like his blood was on fire, but that only drove him to move towards the intoxicating scent faster.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later that Sasuke spotted the deer. The large animal barreled out of some shrubs some thirty feet in front of the Uchiha, only to sprint across his path through the trees to the right.

Sasuke barely had time to crouch amongst the bushes he had paused by when the shrubs the deer had exited exploded as a figure burst through them. The figure was cloaked in black, the heavy hood hanging too low for Sasuke to see a face and the long material draping around the small form making the gender indistinguishable, but looking like that of Death coming to collect a soul himself.

Death, however, was the farthest thing from Sasuke's mind because the scent was unmistakable: that of an omega in heat. The young Uchiha could honestly say that he had never smelled something so delicious in his entire life. Sasuke's muscles clenched in anticipation as his red eyes tracked the omega that took off after the deer.

...

Sasuke's breaths were labored, he ran his saliva heavy tongue over the front of his top teeth as he drew in the scent drifting around the forest. It was beginning to become unbearable.

He had seen the way the omega had taken down the doe, the speed, agility, and strength the submissive displayed. His Sharingan (when had they activated?) had tracked the lithe figure perfectly and he could tell just by looking that the other hunter had just been playing with the deer, intentionally running just a little too slow before ricocheting from tree to tree to corral the frightened creature to a prime location. The corkscrew move launched from the tree trunk that finally took the deer down had been precise and strong, practiced, tearing the carotid artery perfectly.

If it wasn't for the omega's intoxicating scent, Sasuke was sure that he would be drawn to the hooded figure by their hunting skills alone, which was saying something because Sasuke was never attracted to anyone. And attracted he was, Sasuke _wanted _that omega like he had never wanted anything in his life, and his swollen cock hanging heavily between his legs agreed wholeheartedly.

It was obvious that the submissive hadn't noticed his presence, a fact that irked the Uchihaー he wanted all that omega's attention solely focused on him, wet for him, submitting to himーbut he had let it slide during the hunt, it was clear the omega was too focused on its prey to notice anything else. Sasuke could understand that, but it was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Every part of Sasuke's being was telling him to claim the omega, to possess, to _own. _So, after taking another deep inhalation to draw in as much of that scent in as he could, Sasuke took off toward his prey.

He thanked the fact the omega now had its face buried in the deer's bloody side, the sound of tearing flesh and slurping covering up the sound of his fast approach and masking his heady scent of arousal. It was obvious from this omega's previous movements that it was not one to be taken lightly, and Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion that if it had wanted to be mounted then it would have been already and would not be here devouring wildlife, but he ignored that last thought as he collided with the unsuspecting omega.

A grunt of surprise escaped the omega as the two slammed to the ground, skidding in the dirt with the force of Sasuke's impact. The sound of tearing fabric, followed by a sharp stinging sensation shot through Sasuke's side where the omega suddenly shifted in his hold and raked sharp claws along his ribcage, the searing pain dulled considerably by his lust clouded mind. He didn't care about a little pain, that all came in the conquest.

Sasuke shifted his hips, locking his thighs around the pair of strong legs that suddenly freed themselves from the too big cloak to lash out at him. The movement of the heavy fabric allowed more of the omega's unique scent to hit Sasuke's sensitive nose and the brunet's claws automatically sunk into whatever purchase he could find as he used his superior weight and size to force his dominance and keep his hold. The scent of blood—not belonging to the deer—reached Sasuke's nose. It mixed with his own, quickening his heartbeat and heightening his arousal, causing his grip to tighten.

Though the omega continue to struggle—growls of anger escaping through the black hood—it was obvious that the cloak that had once served to conceal the submissive was now only a hindrance, trapping the arm that Sasuke had landed on amongst the many folds and giving the Uchiha more purchase to roll the omega face down to affectingly pin the other arm against the ground.

Both were breathing hard from the struggle. Somewhere in the back of Sasuke's mind he suspected that he may have had a harder time dominating the omega if he hadn't caught it unaware. The thought both annoyed and pleased him. As it was, he allowed his aching cock to grind into the omega's backside, his chest pressed tight against the omega's strong back, to show the submissive his appreciation. He was going to enjoy making this omega his.

He wasn't even sure if he would be mounting a male or a female (though he suspected it was a male if the strength of the omega's back was anything to go by), though he honestly didn't care at this point even if he was a little curious. However, what he really wanted was to just stick his nose into that warm neck and breath deep. Maybe lick. Bite.

With a shudder and another grind of his hips that earned him a growl and a squirm that only served to turn the dominant on more, Sasuke shifted his hold so his right forearm was resting across the omega's shoulder blades—his hips still bearing down on the omega's ass— as his left hand reached forward to pull back the concealing hood.

Short hair that reminded Sasuke of spun gold, dulled only by the night and the sheen of sweat that dampened the omega's body, was the first thing he noticed. It was the most beautiful thing Sasuke had ever seen, and his pale fingers itched to weave themselves through it as he held his omega down.

Sasuke wouldn't let his eyes linger but a moment on those golden strands, knowing there was more to see and so little time what with the temper of his chosen omega. Moving his crimson eyes over the omega's face his gaze caught in piercing blue that reflected the moon in an eerie light.

Sasuke's breath stilled, his once fiery blood seeming to freeze in his veins. He took in the tanned skin surrounded by the shining locks, the one visible cerulean eye glaring death—a glare he had seen many times, but never directed quite so intensely at himself— and finally his eyes darted down to the snarling mouth.

Images of a small boy— clumsy, _weak_, annoying, loud, and unbelievably determined— flashed through his mind. A sharp, shallow gulp pushed past his clenched throat as Sasuke's eyes shot up towards the surrounding forest; because there, barely visible under the layer of blood and bits of fatty residue smeared across slightly plump cheeks were three scars that Sasuke knew all too well.

His sharp eyes scanned the forest as if trying to see the village walls, but of course the trees were too thick, the night too dark even with his advanced vision. All of his senses were overwhelmed by the male below him, leaving no chance of smelling how close he had roamed. Sasuke had had no idea his wandering had lead him so close to Konoha. Was he so close that there would be others?

With his intense gaze focused on their surroundings, thoughts momentarily on competition for his claim, Sasuke hadn't noticed the blond's eyes flash before his grip was suddenly lost and the omega was scrambling away.

It only took seconds for Sasuke to roll into a half crouched position, but by then the other male was already on the far side of the little clearing they had found themselves in. A spike of anger surged through him, the thought of being denied what was rightfully his, to have his submissive _refuse _to bend to his will was a blow to his dominance that was hard to take. Sasuke forced the feeling down as he took in the man before him even as his blood heated once more.

Naruto had grown taller, he noticed. It was true that the blond was still short by normal standards, but going off of the last time Sasuke had seen him he supposed eleven year olds were bound to grow. Not just that, but the man's frame looked solid underneath the loose cotton shirt and shorts that stuck to his body in various places where they were soaked through with sweat from his overheated body. The heavy black cloak now hung uselessly over his shoulders allowing Sasuke to take in not only Naruto's entire figure but full scent as well. It had his tongue swelling in his mouth.

Sasuke had of course seen other omega before—those mated to various alpha or heavy with the children of beta, even Itachi's omega wasn't new to him after traveling together for three unbearable months (honestly, the man _never _shut up)— but none of them had looked like the one in front of him. This _omega_ was standing ready to defend himself, and Sasuke knew he could, but this wasn't the same boy that Sasuke left behind all those years ago.

Then again… Sasuke looked at the fire that burned in those blue eyes, eyes that he had always been fascinated with — even when he and the younger man had been beating the shit out of each other in their youth —, and knew that Naruto hadn't changed.

Yes, Naruto was still the same boy that Sasuke had left behind. The boy who would challenge him daily, declaring them rivals, and aggressively never give up. And Sasuke _wanted _him.

Sasuke's stomach clenched in anticipation as those eyes stayed narrowed even as their pupils dilated until the blue was barely visible. His knees spread farther apart to ease the pressure on his groin when he noticed the other man open his mouth slightly to draw more of Sasuke's scent in. Shifting forward slightly, Sasuke rested one hand on the ground in preparation to advance on the omega when the heavy scent of arousal suddenly hit his nose and a low rumble of appreciation rolled through his chest.

The only thing holding Sasuke back from making a break for the omega was the man's previous defiance, and although Sasuke would love nothing more than to put the submissive in his place, he knew that Naruto could be stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. It irked Sasuke to no end that he had to be cautious if he wanted to claim what was his. Though based off of the scent of arousal that was coming off Naruto in waves, Sasuke didn't think he would have to wait long, which was good because the amount of force he was using to not lose his mind was almost unbearable.

The sight of the blond omega taking a step towards him caused Sasuke's inner beast to purr even as he moved his own foot toward his prey.

"Dobe," Sasuke breathed, the old nickname for the other male falling from his lips from force of habit.

Sasuke watched as Naruto paused, his eyes widening slightly as if he has just now realized who the Uchiha was, before a frown formed on his pink lips and then he stepped back. With a heavy exhale out of his nose, Naruto's gaze finally left Sasuke's. His eyes narrowed as they darted along the ground focusing on nothing.

A growl escaped the Uchiha's throat. The thought of having the omega's attention no longer focused on him irritated Sasuke.

Much to Sasuke's satisfaction, the submissive's eyes darted back to his. His triumph was short lived, however, when Naruto's face suddenly hardened, his blue eyes turning to ice and his lips pulling back into a snarl. The blond hissed, his teeth bared in warning, and then he was gone.

Sasuke stared at the spot the omega had been. With his Sharingan activated all he had been able to see of the blond as he vanished was a golden blur. It was obvious that Naruto was too fast for Sasuke to catch on foot, and the surrounding forest held the omega's scent so Sasuke had no idea which way to go to start tracking him.

A guttural howl broke through the quiet night air as a spike of frustrated anger shot through the alpha's system. His eyes darted frantically around the moonlit woods as he took in deep ragged breaths trying to pick up any trail of the allusive omega, but there was nothing.

No.

Sasuke's crimson gaze looked toward the village that he had once called home and had vowed to never return to again. He knew exactly where to find the omega.

A slow smirk spread over the Uchiha's lips as he finally allowed himself to drop to his knees and bring a hand to his aching need. The blond may be stubborn, but he couldn't hide forever. Uchiha Sasuke would have his dobe_. _

…

Naruto panted as he tore through the cabin door, nearly taking it off its hinges. He barely made it past the threshold before he collapsed on the wooden floor, his arms shaking with the effort of keeping his torso off the ground.

The ball in his stomach clenched even tighter before he found himself retching between his spread hands, the blood and red meat from the deer he had consumed earlier splashing across the ground in a horrific display.

Once the liquid turned to bile and then finally seemed to stop, Naruto groaned and rolled to his side, swiping the back of his hand through the residue covering his mouth and chin.

He ignored the mess laying mere inches from his head and stared at the ceiling, breathing deeply. His entire body was shivering and coated with a shiny sheen of sweat; he hadn't remembered feeling this terrible in a long time.

Naruto closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, in and out, allowing his sensitive nose to be filled and numbed once again by the scent of the flowers lining the outside of the cabin's borders.

Just as his nerves were starting to calm and his blood barely beginning to cool, the omega shifted his legs and whimpered. Naruto's claws dug into the material of his shorts as the way his body responded to the other male crept back to the forefront of his mind. He had never had to fight with himself so much before. His mind had become foggy with need and arousal at the scent of the other while his ass suddenly became so wet it was nearly leaking.

He had inhaled Sasuke's scent ('_Fucking Uchiha Sasuke. It just _had _to be him, didn't it?' _Naruto ground his teeth even as he curled himself into a tighter ball when a new wave of arousal washed over him at the thought of those piercing red eyes), and as his mind became clouded over, all he thought was, '_Strong alpha. Mate.'_

…

* * *

…

The next time Sasuke saw his omega was four days later as the blond stepped onto the training field carrying a large stag over his shoulder along with a few limp rabbits and squirrels hanging from ropes by his hip. The deer was as big as he was, but he didn't even look to be breaking a sweat as his golden locks glistened brighter than the metal around his forehead, and it was clear that his strong legs were being put to good use.

'_He's even more beautiful in the daytime,'_ Sasuke thought from his place amongst the gathered alpha as he watched a pair of younger boys run up to his dobe and relieve him of his kills. Naruto gave them a kind smile before turning to the female blonde alpha that quickly approached him to hand him a towel.

Sasuke held back a growl as the tall alpha bumped against his intended mate in an overly friendly manner, though his eyes narrowed and his clawed hands dug into the thick material of his long sleeved shirt as anger began to bubble in his belly. The only reason he wasn't attacking the woman now was because he had smelled the distinct scent of omega on her, _very _fresh, and he knew that as an alpha she wouldn't stray from her own mate. There was also the fact that apparently Naruto was an _alpha _as well_. _Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

His heartbeat picked up as Naruto finally noticed the group of alpha standing around, though it was obvious he hadn't noticed Sasuke's presence yet. A smirk appeared on Sasuke's pale lips. This was going to be fun.

…

Relaxing his shoulders now that he had room to breathーhonestly, it was like the woman didn't know what personal space wasー Naruto's eyes drifted to the group of alpha huddled not too far away and sighed in exasperation. "Tsk, you guys are supposed to be starting your stretches already."

Ino shrugged next to him, a grin still plastered on her face and not seeming to care about the impending doom, while she changed course with the smaller man as he made a beeline toward the gathered squad.

"Alpha!" Naruto called, authority in his voice, "Is there a reason you are not warming up?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Dobe_."_

Naruto froze at the comment that came from the back of the crowd, his face paling, not due to the deep smooth voice but the all to familiar nickname that accompanied it.

The crowd parted and there was Uchiha Sasuke in all his fine glory leaning easily against one of the wooden stumps they used as target practice.

Naruto's eyes were wide as the dark haired alpha smirked at him with an air of arrogance, before the blond was suddenly jostled from the side by an excited Ino yelling something about 'the good old days' or some crap like that. He did vaguely remember her saying that _someone _had showed up but had brushed her off because it was too damn early. Well fuck.

Naruto's eyes fluttered around the assembled alpha for a moment before he felt his old resolve fall back into place and his eyes hardened. His squadron immediately scattered to begin their warm ups, knowing that look. "What are you doing here Uchiha?" his voice was calm and controlled, tinged with anger that didn't reveal any of the panic he was feeling.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but the smirk on his face remained, "Rejoining my rightful place in society." He gave the metal plate resting against his forehead a little tap for extra emphasis (because Naruto would most definitely argue with him otherwise) before refolding his arms. "Imagine my surprise when I was told to report to _Captain_ Uzumaki's ANBU unit."

Naruto didn't miss the way the other man's eyes swept over him as he spoke, the way his pupils were a little dilated, and it made his body stiffen. He refused to let his own eyes move away from the other man's face, it didn't matter that the damned alpha still had that stupidly pale skin that looked smooth like porcelain, and black hair that shined an almost blue in the sunlight, and eyes...or that he looked to be at least a head taller than Naruto even while leaning against the post. It didn't _matter._

Naruto's fists clenched tighter as he held his breath for a moment longer, wishing his squad had stuck around to continue blocking this one alpha's scent.

"You screw us up and you're out," he ground out through clenched teeth before turning on his heels to join the other alpha who were stretching on the ground. He couldn't claim that Sasuke _would _be a burden on their unit, he was sure that Morino had tested the Uchiha himself to see where he would be placed and Naruto trusted the man's judgement. The amused snort that followed close behind him made his stomach clench and Naruto stamped down the feeling as he began to bark orders.

…

"Alright, you know the drill: finish your warm up, then find a sparring partner. Once we're done, ANBU will go inside for assignments, trainee's go see Kakashi," Naruto instructed from his place at the front of the alpha. His voice was strong—his posture displaying an air of confidence and power, even with his small stature—and left no room for argument, though it looked like there would be none, it was clear that he held the respect from all of the alpha present. The knowledge made Sasuke want to hum in satisfaction.

Sasuke's eyes lingered on the omega as he made his way around the gathered men and women giving them a hand here and there in their stretchesーhis small, but strong hands on the other alpha's bodies made Sasuke's blood boilーbefore Naruto looped back around towards him to stand near the blonde female. Ino, if he recalled correctly.

His eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you warming up?" Sasuke asked, his question from earlier coming to light once again.

"I always am," Naruto said absently, then blinked when he realized what he said and looked down at the grinning Uchiha. "I mean, I already warmed up," he corrected lamely.

Sasuke wanted to tease the dobe about always being limber and other such naughty things, but Naruto's faint blush was enough for the alpha for now. There was no need to draw too much attention. Sasuke didn't know why (or _how_) exactly Naruto was pretending to be an alpha, but he had to assume the man had to have a good reason if he was still pulling the ruse at age twenty (and pulling it off well), so he wasn't going to blow it for him on the first day. Especially if he wanted to stay in Naruto's good graces.

So instead, Sasuke asked another question to keep the omega's focus on himself. "So, what was up with the meat?" His gaze locked intently on Naruto's, the way his nostrils flared slightly, he knew that man was thinking about the deer he had been hunting when Sasuke had found him during the heat. The skirmish they had, the _near _claiming. Even as Sasuke's blood warmed, he inhaled to catch a whiff of Naruto's scent, hoping for some arousal at the memory. None. He couldn't pick up any of the omega's scent.

"Oh, Cap' does that every year," a young boy broke into Sasuke's thoughts, distracting him away from deep blue eyes. "After the heat, if Naruto doesn't find a mate, then he goes out hunting and brings back fresh kills for the alpha who have found omega since they won't be leaving their houses for a while."

Sasuke's eyes had gone back to Naruto's when the brunet alpha had mentioned Naruto not finding a mate and the blond's eyes narrowed at him in challenge.

"Yeah, yeah," the young alpha continued, excited, "Naruto's the _best_. He really cares about all of us."

"How...maternal of him," Sasuke said, his own challenging eyes not leaving the omega's.

Naruto's eyes widened at the jab, before he cut the young alpha off who was just about to start talking again, "Alright, warm-up's done! Pair up!" He shot a glare at Sasuke, "Uchiha, laps."

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, but listened.

…

Naruto glanced over at Konohamaru, the boy already stood two inches taller than himself at the age of fifteen, and though he had somehow become like a little brother to Naruto in the past few years, man, he really needed to learn when to keep his mouth closed.

The thought of dark piercing eyes on him made Naruto shiver and he cursed his luck. '_Fucking alpha.' _He didn't know why his body was even reacting this way. After all the years of constantly being surrounded by alpha Naruto had never felt this affected by another's scent (even when he had first come into maturity). He growled in annoyance, it must be left over effects from the heat.

Ino's approach was a welcome distraction, her blonde hair once again grown out and now kept in a braid at the base of her neck that fell midway down her strong back, her tall frame dwarfing Naruto as she slung an arm around his shoulders making Naruto's spine tense and his skin prickle with slight distaste.

"You have no idea how much I _missed_ you," Ino said as she hugged her friend close to her side.

As the blonde girl started to rattle off all the things that Naruto had missed in the last few days, Naruto closed his eyes. In the past, the only reason he really allowed the blonde alpha's touch was just because of their longtime friendship. The fact that he had to reacquaint his senses with all of the alpha and beta scents after every heat, as if he hadn't had not gone noseblind to them after months and months of exposure, had angered him to no end the first few times, but now he had learned to control himself. Now he took the time to breathe in Ino's scent slowly. Ino, who was familiar, comforting; Ino, whose own scent was laced with that of her own omega whom Naruto knew she held dear to her heart (a comfort to him when times got really bad); Ino, who was _not _Sasuke.

"It's too early for your hyperness," Naruto finally said, once he had calmed down enough to realize the girl was still talking. He yawned to emphasize his point as he looked out over the alpha sparring throughout the field, the early morning light casting long shadows along the grass. It was only an hour or so after sunrise and he had already been up for hours collecting his kills from the traps he had left around the cabin, so he wasn't in the mood for Ino's rapid fire comments.

"I wasn't gone longer than usual," he stated as an afterthought, though he knew it was useless. It was always like this with her.

Ino shrugged and squeezed him closer to her side. "Eh, you smell like a barn," her nose wrinkled and she took a whiff of his hair.

Naruto smirked at her, "You don't keep deer in barns, idiot," he corrected, lightly elbowing the alpha in the side so she broke her hold on him and stepped slightly away. The tension that had been in his shoulders at the contact left and Naruto took a deep breath in relief. He felt bad. Even though Ino was his friend, she was still an alpha and that alone always put his nerves on edge even as they soothed them.

Ino laughed, sticking her tongue out in good fun, "Whatever, munchkin." She mussed his hair and Naruto growled in irritation, swatting the offending hand away and shooting the taller blonde a half hearted glare for the pet name.

He wanted to tell the woman to get her ass on the field, but knew she wouldn't listen (even if he was her superior). Naruto made sure use Commander Morino's strategy and have all of his alpha work off steam every morning by beating the shit out of each other before they went in to find out their missions for the day. Morino was so pleased with the blond's plan that he pawned off _all _of the trainees onto Naruto for morning exercises.

Naruto usually participated — the need to keep his skills sharp and his body strong outweighed his need to cool his temper nowadays — but his mind was too distracted to do anything more than just stand there right now. Though with Sasuke in their ranks now, Naruto would probably need all the sparing he could get. However mated alpha, like Ino, came to morning training with their temper already cooled thanks to the fact that they had omega at home. Ino was always extra chipper after the heat passed.

Naruto's eyes drifted to the lone figure running on the far side of the field and he felt his blood start to heat, memories those eyes on him as the other man panted with a need that matched Naruto's own surfaced and Naruto quickly looked away.

"How many did we lose this time?" he asked, voice rough. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. '_Fuck, I need to get out of here.'_

"Five," Ino said, her eyes scanning over the sparring alpha. "One from ours, Takeshi, and four from the others."

Naruto nodded, a sigh escaping his lips, "Good." That made five families that wouldn't get ripped apart. And he knew Takeshi was a good man. "Good."

…

* * *

…

"What the hell are you doing," Naruto asked, a glare firmly in place.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow from his place behind the blond man, "I'm going home."

Naruto refused to let his eye twitch— he hated the way the alpha spoke, all cool and collected, like he had a right to be there— or to let his footsteps quicken, he _was not _a coward. "Your house is in the _other _direction," he stated as he continued walking.

Sasuke smirked, "I didn't know that you were keeping tabs on me Dobe_. _Should I have been looking out my window for you back in the academy?" Sasuke's tone was teasing, but Naruto's growl of irritation showed that he was anything but amused. The omega spun on his heels to most likely tell him so when Sasuke continued, "It's been eight years_, _I don't live there anymore. I think it was torn down or something."

A look that could have been pity crossed over the shorter man's face, but Sasuke brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "I found an apartment."

With a nod of acceptance, Naruto turned back around and continued home. The rest of the walk was silent, though Naruto's body remained tense with the ever remaining presence of Sasuke hovering behind him.

When they parted ways a little before Naruto's house, a ball of anticipation welled up in Naruto's stomach at the alpha's words—"_See you tomorrow, Dobe"— _and he couldn't bring himself to respond as he continued on his way.

He also didn't see the alpha's smirk of victory or the way he doubled back to return to his own home.

…

Naruto's body didn't relax until he closed the door behind him. A small whine escaped his throat as he slumped against the cool wood.

Laughter came from the direction of the living room and with a sigh, he heaved himself off the door and made his way there.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were sitting on the couch and armchair, a game of cards on the low table between them along with a bottle of _sake_. Both looked up at Naruto as he walked into the room.

"Hey, kid," Jiraiya slurred, a lopsided grin on his face telling of how much he had been drinking.

The side of Naruto's lip twitched into an attempt of a smile, though his heart wasn't in it enough to respond properly.

Tsunade frowned at her grandson's response. Normally the man would come in complaining about how _exhausted _he was and then proceed to loudly tell her and her stupid brother about his day. She may be a little drunk, but she hadn't had enough alcohol to not recognize that something was up with her own grandbaby.

"Hey," Tsunade said, shifting to stand and stumbling a little in the process— ok, maybe she was more than a _little _drunk, but that changed nothing— before approaching the younger blond. "You ok, brat?"

The doctor's eyes widened in alarm as Naruto's eyes met hers, something in them telling her that _no, he was not ok, _before his lips twitched downward into a frown and Naruto stepped forward. Tsunade wrapped her arms around the shorter man as he buried his face in her neck, his arms hanging limply by his sides.

It was a rare thing that Naruto scented his grandmother, his nose brushing over her bare throat as he inhaled gently, so she knew that whatever was bothering him must have been big. Naruto hadn't returned home after the heat, which was nothing unusual since he usually went straight to training afterwards, but to have him come home like this at all was unusual nowadays. It made Tsunade worry that something had gone terribly wrong during his absence and she took an inhalation in to see if she could pick up any abnormalities.

It was true that during the heat the two could barely stand being around each other (and thanks to Tsunade's cabin in the woods they didn't have to be), but the rest of the year their scents only spoke of familiarity, comfort, and family. Tsunade often wished that she could smell her grandson in return, but knew that the blockers were necessary. This time was no different. All she could smell was the faint trace of alpha that always lingered on his skin after working with them all day. She sighed in relief. If he had somehow been mounted then the blockers would no longer work due to his body's new change in scent and hormones, but they obviously still were.

She tightened her arms around him, one hand rising to run soothing circles on his back. "What's wrong, baby?"

Naruto took another deep shuddering breath before he pulled away. "I'm going to go take a shower," he said, his voice low, and then he was walking away.

Tsunade's honey brown eyes followed the blond before she turned to look at her brother, the frown of worry on her face matched his own.

…

* * *

…

"Neji?"

Sasuke's smooth voice drifted across the table to Naruto and the blond glanced up from his food to look at the dark haired alpha. He looked back down as soon as dark eyes instantly caught his own, his hand momentarily tightening around his chopsticks as he willed his body to relax.

Naruto cursed himself for agreeing to coming for dinner, but he had been in meetings all day and when Ino had returned from her mission earlier than expected and had asked him to join her for a celebratory meal he couldn't refuse his friend's request. The problem was that the meal included the team Ino had gone on the mission with, and while two of the other alpha were fine, _one_ of them was not.

The Uchiha had been back for nearly two weeks and Naruto still hadn't gotten used to his presence. While the other scents around him had subsided somewhat, Sasuke's still put him on edge and left a tingling in his blood that was hard to ignore. He knew he just had to give it time, but for now it was nearly driving him mad and he had been making extra effort to avoid the man where he could.

"Yeah," Ino said from her place beside Naruto. She took a moment to shovel more of her own meal into her mouth before continuing. "Hyuuga. He was in the class a year or two ahead of us. He's been on a mission with Kiba and a few others for the last few weeks." All of this was said through a full mouth, though no one seemed to care. "He's dating Tenten. 'Member her? She opened up a weapons shop not too far from here."

Sasuke nodded absently, not too surprised to hear that an alpha was dating a beta. Not everyone was willing to wait forever to find an omega so they often sought comfort elsewhere, even if it didn't give them a family they truly wanted. "Wasn't Hyuuga...?" Sasuke trailed off as he tried to remember his old classmates names and faces.

Ino grinned, her food finally swallowed, "Uh huh, he's Hinata's cousin."

Naruto frowned, bowing his head and shoveling more food into his mouth.

"And he _hated _Kiba when he first met him!" Eiji exclaimed next to Sasuke, before bursting into a fit of laughter. The other alpha had been conversing quietly with their final teammate, Yohiko, at the end of the table, but it seemed like he deemed the conversation interesting enough to butt in. His laughter was loud enough to draw half of the restaurant's attention, Naruto noted.

Sasuke looked to Ino for clarification and Naruto felt a twinge of jealousy, though weather it was towards Ino or Sasuke he wasn't quite sure. The two had been talking quite a bit since they had sat down to eat, which made sense he supposed since they must have gotten to know each other on their mission, but it still didn't sit well with him.

"Oh that's right," Ino said, laughing along with the other two alpha at the table. Naruto suppressed a frown. Ino waved her hand in dismissal, "You don't know, Kiba mated with Hinata."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, probably trying to picture quiet little Hinata with such a big brute like Inuzuka Kiba. He didn't know it, but Kiba had only gotten bigger since the academy. Naruto's stomach twisted in a knot and he took a sip of his soda, trying to sooth it.

Eiji laughed again, "Yeah, and it turns out Neji has a soft spot for his cousin. He and Inuzuka fought constantly until Hina gave birth to their second kid."

"I hear she's pregnant again," Yohiko said, finally adding his two cents into the conversation. Even though he and Eiji had been in the other class during Naruto's years at the academy, they had proved to be fine additions to his ANBU unit and had become close friends with the alpha of Naruto's class.

As the two other alpha began to gossip about the love life that was Inuzuka Kiba, Sasuke turned back to Ino. "So what about you?" It was obvious he had smelled her own omega on her.

"Ah." The smile that graced the blonde woman's face brought warmth to Naruto's chest. "Sakura and I have two children. Hanako is three and Ichiro is just over nine months."

"Sakura?" Sasuke's dark brow raised as he eyed the blonde alpha across from him. "Didn't you two hate each other?"

"Only because they were always fighting over _you_," Naruto couldn't help but grumble, a spike of pain shooting through him at the memory of their youth.

Ino had the decency to blush in embarrassment. Naruto didn't miss the look Sasuke shot him and he turned to stare out the window, uncomfortable with the look.

"Yeah well," Ino shrugged, a small laugh escaping her throat, "people change."

"Hn," was Sasuke's only reply and Naruto refused to scrunch his shoulders as he felt the man's gaze still on him.

"Let's see," Ino said, tapping her chin absently, "Choji ended up opening a barbecue restaurant in town that's really popular. Shino is an entomologist and works with the hospital and with us to create both poisons and antidotes." At Sasuke's confused look Ino laughed, "He was the quiet guy who always wore sunglasses," she shrugged, "I always figured he'd be an omega, but go figure, beta works. Anyways, let's see…who else was part of our group…"

Naruto tried not to scoff. Their 'group' hadn't really been a thing. Sure there had been clicks back in the academy, but Sasuke and _Naruto _hadn't been a part of them. It didn't surprise Naruto that Ino had had a lot of friends. She was outgoing and, he supposed, easy on the eyes, but he and the dark haired alpha had spent most of their days fighting. He guessed at some point in the woman's memory she had just lumped them all together as friends, and now she was sharing everyone's life stories.

"Hm," Ino continued, eyebrows furrowed, "I guess Shikamaru's the only one unaccounted for."

"Nara?" Sasuke's question brought both blonde's attention to him. At Ino's nod he shrugged, taking a careless bite of his food, "He got claimed by the Kazekage a few years ago. Word is he attacked the alpha first."

Ino's eyes were wide in surprise, while Naruto thought he was going to be sick. They had all heard of the Kazekage and his ruthlessness. While Konoha's Hokage was older, waiting until the alpha were past their prime so heats no longer affected them but their strength and battle knowledge were still fresh, the strongest alpha in Suna was the one to take the title of Kazekage no matter his or her age. Apparently the redhead had bested his own father in battle at the age of fifteen a few years ago and hadn't been defeated since.

While the conversation and laughter continued around him, the omega thought back to the last time he had seen one of the few people he had considered friends back at the academy.

…

_Naruto was pretty sure that he was dying. His heat had ended the night before and not only was it the worst he had ever experienced in his life (the sudden urge to tear his sweltering clothes off before running out of the cabin like some kind of sex crazed beast was near overwhelming), but he had woken up this morning with the most painful cramps ever._

_He groaned, pushing his hand into his abdomen in some hope to relieve at least a little bit of the pain as he made his way back from the bathroom. That was another thing, the _blood, _ugh. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the pad that wrapped around the base of his underwear and covered most of his bottom brush against his skin. He wondered, not for the first time, if it would just be better to just wear diapers and be done with it, but they seemed like too much of a hassle to change._

_The omega released another groan, wondering if it was too soon to take more medication, it was obvious the dose he had taken a few hours ago was wearing off (or _had _worn off), but his granny would kill him if he overdosed. God, he wanted to _die.

_With aching muscles, a headache that was just out of reach, and a uterus that was trying to eat itself, Naruto slowly made his way back to his room on shaky legs. _

_It was when he was halfway down the hallway that he heard a crash and his heart jumped into his throat. Had they found him? Would they send him away until next heat? Had all of this been for nothing?_

_Even as those thoughts raced through his mind, Naruto pushed himself to move forward. As he turned into his room, he froze._

_There on his bed, below what remained of his broken window, was the body of a male clad only in a loincloth, but covered head to toe in mud and by the smell of it, feces. Naruto's nose scrunched as his nostrils were clogged with the stench even as the male rolled off the bed, a small groan escaping his lips, before moving towards the door. _

_The man looked up as he approached and he too froze, his eyes widening for a moment, scanning the length of Naruto's body, before they relaxed and then he was moving past the blond. _

_Naruto turned and followed. His wide blue eyes moving along the other male's back as he followed, taking in his long hair matted in grime plastered to his head but still somehow held up in a ponytail, over his waist that looked thinner than was considered healthy, and finally down to his legs where a trail of blood was sliding down the inside of one thigh only to be slowed by the mud._

_The two came to a stop in Naruto's pantry where the other man proceeded to raid one of the shelves, grabbing whatever he could before shoving it in his mouth with dirty hands. _

_Naruto quickly grabbed a bottle of water from a pack near his feet and held it out. "Shikamaru," his voice was gentle, but concerned. He had recognized his old friend almost instantly, the intelligence in his dark eyes was hard to miss even after not seeing him for four years._

_Shikamaru looked up from his food, his mouth still full, and took the offered drink with a nod of thanks. _

_After the brunet's jerky movements started to slow down, Naruto finally decided to speak. He licked his lips nervously, he hadn't seen the man in so long and he was the first to discover his secret outside of Tsunade, but based off of Shika's condition and the look he had given him earlier, Naruto had to assume he would be fine._

"_What a- you-are you okay?" Alright, so he wasn't really sure what to say. He had an idea of what happened, but he needed to get the man talking even if it made him uncomfortable. _

_Shikamaru snorted, though it lacked any humor behind it. "Better," he admitted. He then grimaced and pressed a hand against his abdomen, a hiss of pain escaping through his teeth. "Fuck," he breathed. _

_Naruto glanced down once again at the blood running down his friend's leg and cringed, understanding his pain. "Um," he looked around and grabbed a hand towel hanging on the wall nearby and handed it to the other sixteen year old, "Here, sit on this. You'll feel better once you're sitting."_

_Shikamaru accepted the towel and lowered himself to the ground, releasing a groan as he leaned against the wall next to the shelving unit. "Sorry for the mess," he sighed, his eyes closed in exhaustion._

_Naruto gave a wane smile, "Don't worry about it. What happened?"_

_Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at Naruto, his expression more serious than the blond had ever seen it. "I'm covered in mud and shit in the middle of the woods, what do you _think _happened?" _

_Naruto bit his lip for a moment, because, yes, that was a stupid question. The answer was obvious. He tried again, "Why?" He had to know._

_Shikamaru sighed, moving to rub his eyes before realizing that his fingers were too dirty to do so. Instead he just looked off to the side. "Why would I want to mate and have kids?" He gave a humorless laugh, "Life in the tower was good. No worries, _easy... _but all they taught us was how to take care of kids, how to cook and clean, to keep house." He shook his head with a small grunt, "Troublesome."_

"_So what, you covered up your scent and _hid _for three days until the heat was done while desperate beta and alpha ran around the forest searching for new omega?" Naruto asked in disbelief. He couldn't imagine how hard that must have been— he had nearly been driven crazy with lust— but to be out there in the thick of it all without the cabin's flowers blocking potential mate's scents...Shikamaru must have been determined. _

_At least Naruto was used to dominate scents. Shikamaru had been away from them until three nights ago. However, Nara Shikamaru had always been the smartest person Naruto knew, a born strategist. Sure he could be lazy at times, but to have his talents wasted just because he had a working womb was ludicrous. No wonder he ran away._

"_In a tree," Shikamaru gave a little smirk, Naruto laughed. "I only came here because I couldn't smell anyone and because I was starving," he admitted with a little cringe. It was obvious that with all his brains his plan could have gone array very easy had it been anyone other than Naruto in the cabin. He looked around the small pantry for a moment before looking pointedly at Naruto, already guessing why the blond was there. It made sense, Naruto hadn't gone to the Omega Tower when he had matured and as a genius the other omega could put two and two together._

_As it turned out, Shikamaru didn't care to find out Naruto's reasons for faking his second gender (it was too troublesome), he just wished he had thought of the same thing. _

_The genius only stayed for one night, saying he wanted to leave before patrols fully started again after the post heat bliss ended. Naruto packed him a bag of supplies: food, water, painkillers, a few changes of clothes, and plenty of pads. Shikamaru refused to bathe, stating that it would be safer to stay off the radar that way._

"_Head West," Naruto said, "Patrols are thinner in that direction. I'll try to keep everyone out of your hair."_

_And with that the omega left._

…

'_Head West,' _Naruto's words rang through his head as his heart clenched his his chest, '_right towards Suna.' _If guilt didn't eat him alive, he didn't know what would.

Raucous laughter brought him out of his musing and Naruto blinked, his eyes burning—due to the fact that he had been staring blankly at the table top for far too long or the emotions welling up inside him, he didn't know— but when he looked up his gaze met onyx, intense and staring right into his soul.

…

"Dobe_," _Sasuke called as he followed the blond. Naruto's footsteps only quickened and Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh, "Dobe_, _wait."

As their rushed footfalls echoed through the nearly empty street and the omega _still_ refused to even acknowledge him, Sasuke began to grow more worried.

The last few weeks had been near torture for the alpha. He had been so close to the omega, but the man barely gave him the time of day. The only reprieve Sasuke was allowed was during their late afternoon walks home from training where the two of them could finally be alone—granted Naruto spent the majority of the time tight-lipped and glaring, while Sasuke found himself uncharacteristically chatty, sharing any thoughts that came to him from his opinions on training (Naruto had glared at him hard for that one) to his various adventures while traveling with Itachi, anything to fill the void and hopefully sooth the tension that always seemed to linger between them. However, when suddenly the news of the blond joining his impromptu team for dinner came along, Sasuke jumped for the chance to join.

It was true that the Uchiha still had mixed feelings about the Yamanaka woman. Ok, scratch that, he just plain didn't like her. She was too close to his blond, always hanging all over him and talking with him and making him smile when Sasuke couldn't get more than an annoyed look (or worse) from the smaller male. Now just the sight of her set Sasuke's nerves on edge. That being said, Ino was _apparently _Naruto's best friend and so Sasuke made it his mission to be nice to the woman, if only to stay on the blond's good side.

So when the look of utter anguish appeared on Naruto's face during what was supposed to be a friendly meal, Sasuke had cause for concern. Thankfully it wasn't long before the dinner came to an end, the blond omega bolting out of the restaurant with Sasuke close on his heels.

It would be easy to assume that the cause of Naruto's irritation was simply Sasuke's presence, his attendance at dinner was clearly not welcomed, but Sasuke knew this wasn't the case. Whatever was causing the omega's distress was something beyond the Uchiha. That didn't mean that Sasuke was enjoying the silent treatment.

Their steps echoed through the now empty street, the tall street lights casting long shadows across the dirt road as they made their way by, and still Naruto didn't slow, his breathing hard and fast.

"_Dobe," _Sasuke had had enough. He wasn't exactly in the position to start manhandling the omega (he knew that the blond would probably deck him if he tried anything funny now) but he at least made the effort to place a hand lightly on Naruto's shoulder in an attempt to get _some _sort of response from him.

As expected, Naruto spun, his hand coming up to bat the Uchiha's palm away from his person, before abruptly walking back toward the restaurant.

Sasuke's brows furrowed, his feet kicking up dust as he made to follow the blond. Where the hell was he going now? "_Do-"_

Naruto's sudden about face cut him off, his impromptu pacing causing Sasuke to wonder if he should stay in place or continue trying to follow Naruto back and forth. Naruto's glaring at the ground wasn't offering up any clues.

Sasuke took a deep breath.

"Naruto," Sasuke tried to keep his voice soothing, he really did, "what's wrong?"

To say that Sasuke wasn't surprised when Naruto suddenly spun on him, his eyes blazing and an exasperated huff of air leaving his lungs, would be a lie, but he managed to not show any of his shock beyond a slight widening of his eyes.

"Ino wanted to be a florist." Naruto's tone was harsh, matching his furrowed brows and clearly upset mood, but his words were anything but and they were not what Sasuke was expecting.

"What?" Was all the alpha could think to say, an intelligent reply to be sure, but what better reply was there?

Naruto groaned and grabbed a fistful of his already wild blond locks, giving them a harsh tug with both hands. "Now the best she can do is volunteer at her mom's shop in her free time," he griped, his harsh gaze that had once been cast upon Sasuke now focused on the dark road as his hands fell uselessly to his sides.

Sasuke honestly didn't know what the big deal was, but knew that saying 'so what' would _not_ be the correct answer, so instead he remained quiet and waited for the blond to elaborate more.

"It's not fair."

The words were hissed through grit teeth, but they were loud enough for the alpha to understand. Sasuke may not know Naruto that well anymore (though if he were honest with himself he had never really known the blond before), but he was smart enough to know that the omega was projecting. "And what about you?" He finally asked. "What do you want to do?"

Sasuke's pulse picked up when those deep blue eyes once again focused on him, their oceanic depths mirroring the street lamps above them wide and full of emotion—of _pain—_ and as captivating as ever. But then they hardened, narrowing until Naruto was once again glaring.

"Home," Naruto said, with a small shake of his head, "I just want to go home," and then he turned, leaving Sasuke to stare at his back.

The rest of the walk home was made in silence, a complete opposite to the thoughts rolling through both male's minds.

…...

* * *

**AN:** And so the drama begins! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that the time jumps weren't confusing!

Fun fact, this entire fic was inspired by that attempted rape scene, from the point that Sasuke first say the omega running all the way to where he discovered it was Naruto. I don't know where it came from (maybe a perverted dream? It's been to long since I started writing this lol), but something about Sasuke coming back and realizing his old rival was an omega and that he really, really wanted him just intrigued me.

See you next chapter!


	3. Part 2- April

**A.N.**\- Welcome back! Glad everyone liked the last chapter! This one is a lot shorter, but that's just how it turned out. Like I said, they very in length.

R&R and enjoy!

3\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 2)

April

"Come on mutt, ya gotta try harder than that," Naruto's amused voice fluttered over the small training field, the taunt clearly heard over the raucous laughter and cheers of his fellow ANBU members witnessing his spar.

Inuzuka Kiba's growl of anger was loud as the alpha made another lunge for the smaller man, only to have his captain dodge nimbly out of the way with his superior speed.

The spar had been going on for a good half hour, Kiba getting increasingly frustrated with his lack of being able to land any sort of actual blow on his captain. It was clear that Naruto was just playing with him as he danced around the field with his fancy footwork, dashing in to slash at Kiba's weak spots before quickly moving out of range again before the large man had a chance to retaliate. What made it even more infuriating was that everyone knew that Naruto wasn't even moving at top speed.

"Are you even trying?" Naruto called again, a small laugh accompanying the smile on his face.

Kiba was not amused.

It was another fifteen minutes before the larger man finally managed to land a hit, snagging his claws through Naruto's forest green tank top before dragging the blond down to the ground. Hoots and hollers arose from the crowd as they grappled for only a moment, but the victor was already decided. Naruto's speed was no match for Kiba's strength and size (even with the large alpha panting like a dog from sheer exhaustion) and he quickly found himself pinned underneath the hulking brunet.

Naruto grinned even as the air was pushed from his lungs. His own arms locked across his chest and held down by Kiba's weight was near crushing, but he bore it. His focus was on the man over him, still snarling in anger —clearly upset that Naruto was taking his loss so lightly— and unaware of the pair of dark eyes on them growing darker by the minute.

"Well that'll teach me not to call you names." Naruto's comment was immediately followed by a small cough as Kiba pushed more weight onto his body causing the blond to grit his teeth.

Naruto released a sigh, his tense body relaxing underneath the heavy weight on top of him. "You need to learn to control your anger," he said, his voice becoming serious as all the humor bled from his person. Kiba's eyes were on him, focused on his words even as his own blood began to cool. "There were at least four openings and you should have been able to take me down long before this. We've talked about this, don't let your anger cloud your judgement."

The alpha didn't have enough time to respond with more than a nod, his dark eyes finally cleared of their manic thirst for blood lust, before Kiba found himself being bodily hauled off of his superior.

Then there was a pregnant pause, the only sound in the small field that of the angry roar tearing through Sasuke as he swung the unsuspecting Inuzuka up and _threw _him (not caring that Kiba collided with a section of the assembled crowd—his own ANBU unit—when he landed).

Uchiha Sasuke stood just off center of the assembled ANBU, his posture defensive and his breathing labored even through his snarling teeth. His eyes swirled red and black—a sight that many of them had never seen before— and focused on the alpha sprawled amongst their stunned peers.

And then he was falling. Sasuke was rapidly stumbling back even as he turned as if he were fleeing drunkenly from the scene.

Sasuke bashed into the wall of ANBU HQ, his cheek grinding along its stone white surface like sandpaper against his smooth flesh. His feet tried to find purchase, but his legs were spread awkwardly to either side with his knees digging painfully into the wall, losing any height advantage he may have had over his assailant. His breath hitched, his left shoulder burning in pain along with the strain shooting through his dominant arm pinned behind him in a tight yet simple hold. His right hand managed to quickly find its way to the stone wall in front of him, grappling for leverage, but his mind and body immediately screamed at him to not resist for fear of breaking his trapped arm. The pain was held right on the cusp so he couldn't move without inflicting more.

And then there was warmth.

"Don't," Naruto's voice seethed in his ear even as his smaller body pressed against Sasuke's back, "you _dare _do that again."

A small shiver ran down the alpha's spine and Sasuke inhaled deeply, his once again onyx eyes meeting the angry blue just over his shoulder.

Naruto's voice was low, the warning clearly meant to be heard only by him despite their audience. His words were slow and measured, as if he were talking to a child. "It is not your place to interfere."

At Sasuke's pursed lips Naruto's jaw visibly clenched before he released a sigh in resignation. "Kiba has a family." He knew Sasuke knew. Of course he did, but that didn't change anything, did it?

The two men stood for a few moments silently staring at one another. Naruto's hold on Sasuke's arm loosened to the point that the alpha didn't think his shoulder would be dislocated anymore but the omega didn't step away.

When Sasuke licked his lips to speak, Naruto's gaze tried to not flick down to the motion. "I don't like that I can't smell you."

Sasuke's words were spoken softly, but the statement was enough to halt Naruto's breath momentarily. Had he really been breathing Sasuke's scent so deeply? Shit. His eyes widened in panic at the thought.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, "W-"

"DAMMIT UCHIHA!"

The abrupt shout from behind the two males was enough to break them out of their intimate conversation. Naruto stepped away, releasing Sasuke from the arm lock and allowing the Uchiha to straighten up awkwardly from his sprawled position against the wall. They were surprised (though they really shouldn't have been) to see their entire ANBU unit all clustered around a very irate Kiba who had finally managed to pull himself off the ground and was now stomping towards Sasuke.

Sasuke couldn't care less. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he waited for the larger alpha's approach.

Naruto sighed. There went the day and his lesson on self control.

"You _fucker," _Kiba snarled once he was in Sasuke's face. "You've been back for what, a month, and you're already pulling that shit again?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, a frown coming to his lips. '_Again?'_

"_Kami!_" At Sasuke's blank stare Kiba threw his hands up in exasperation. "We're not kids anymore. We've changed, _I've _changed. _Fuck, _you always do this." The vague wave in Naruto's general direction was enough to startle the blond, his heartbeat stuttering as memories were rekindled.

_Naruto's back hit the wall with a dull thwack and he held back a cringe not wanting the other boy to see his discomfort._

_Everything had been going fine, better than fine, great even. They had just returned to the classroom after completing their relay challenges on the track and field, where surprisingly Naruto had come in first. It was a rare occasion for the eleven year old to receive recognition from his peers (especially in the form of praise) and Naruto was eating it up. But then _he _came along._

_Naruto scowled up into the face of Inuzuka Kiba, feeling his anger for the larger boy bubble up inside of him even as Kiba's friends gathered around them and their classmates that had been cheering Naruto on backed away. It made sense that Inuzuka would be mad, his clan was known for their speed despite their size and Naruto had just shown him up in front of the entire class._

"_You think you're so hot, don't you?" Kiba sneered, shoving his big palm against Naruto's chest again. _

_Naruto bared his teeth in response, his blue eyes shimmering in challenge that only seemed to infuriate the other boy more. _

_Kiba's hand fisted into Naruto's shirt, his blunt nails bunching up the material until it was right underneath Naruto's chin almost lifting him off his feet. He leaned forward to get right up into the blond's face and Naruto considered biting his nose off just for the heck of it, but figured the other boy wasn't worth it. That, and he didn't want the foul taste in his mouth._

"_Little shrimpy wins one little race and is now taking handouts like a little _whore_," Kiba seethed, although a small smirk formed on his lips at the last word that accompanied a round of snickers from his friends. _

_The blood drained from Naruto's face and then a fierce growl tore through his throat as he saw red. He grabbed the hand fisting his shirt. _

_A loud bang startled everyone in the room, momentarily bringing Naruto and Kiba's attention away from each other. _

_Naruto's eyes landed on the large book laying in the middle of the desk not very far away from them and then trailed his eyes up to the boy standing next to it. Uchiha Sasuke stood there, one hand casually in his pocket and the other hovering slightly over the book, featuring a look of utter boredom as he observed them. _

_No one said anything and after a moment Sasuke seemed to come to a decision and sighed, running a hand through his too perfect hair, and moved to sit down as if the altercation was above him. Damn Naruto hated that guy._

_Kiba looked back at Naruto who was still scowling at Sasuke._

"_You know Inuzuka," Sasuke's too smooth voice drawled, demanding the attention of everyone in the classroom, "If you spent half as much time practicing as you did fighting then maybe you wouldn't be failing this course."_

_Kiba's ears went red as snickers were heard throughout the class. Iruka-sensei walked in a moment later and Sasuke never looked up from his book._

* * *

**A.N.- **Hope you liked that! See you in a week!


	4. Part 3- May

**A.N.- **Welcome back! Yesterday was my birthday and I was planning on spending the whole day writing, but instead my husband and I went to the mall and spent almost $70 on card games... So, you know, still productive...

Here is another short one, but I have to admit that it's one of my favorites. Hopefully you all will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I promise that the next chapter will be longer! Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to comment on this! I've enjoyed hearing your feedback :)

Please R&R and enjoy!

4\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 3)

May

Naruto looked up at the gathering clouds and wondered, not for the first time, if it was going to rain.

'_How did that saying go?' _Naruto absently pondered, '_Spring showers brings May flowers?' _He snorted. Whoever wrote that was an idiot. It seemed to be raining non-stop since the beginning of the month, whatever flowers there might have been were probably drowned by now. Had it even rained last month? He couldn't remember.

The soft tap-tapping of footsteps pulled his eyes away from the darkening sky and Naruto chanced a glance back at his companion. Honestly, the alpha was too open about his intentions to not be called a stalker at this point.

Dark eyes met his instantly and Naruto turned back to the road.

Yup, still there.

Naruto took a steadying breath, much like he did every evening on the way home from work, intent on making it home without incident.

Of course they never made it that far.

"How did you get those scars?"

Naruto's fists clenched, his chest tightening before he forced himself to release a calming breath. It didn't lessen the sudden flush that rushed to his cheeks, highlighting his whisker-like scars a stark white, as insult and anger rose in him. '_Fucking bastard.' _

Naruto knew for a fact that the raven had never been chatty—it was hard to get him to say anything beyond a handful of insults on a good day when they were young— and yet whenever they were alone together (grudgingly against Naruto's will) the other man just couldn't seem to shut up. Most of the time it was harmless, Naruto didn't really mind learning about the Uchiha's travels, but sometimes Sasuke would grow bored of talking about himself and turn his attention to Naruto. It was not appreciated.

"None of your fucking business," Naruto bit out, his eyes darting to the side a Sasuke's long strides effortlessly caught up it him.

It was silent for a moment, Sasuke seemingly unperturbed while Naruto continued to seethe.

"I only ask because Ino said you never have to see a medic due to your bloodlimit," Sasuke's voice was casual, clearly trying to fix at least some of the damage that his previous question may have caused.

Naruto's anger was only cooled slightly as he remembered Sasuke's panicked face when he had failed to block Neji's kunai in last week's spar. Sure the blade had only scratched his arm leaving barely a thin trail of blood, but the alpha hadn't known that. Apparently Sasuke had gone to Ino instead of confronting Naruto directly when Naruto had shrugged off the injury. The thought brought a frown to Naruto's lips.

"When did you activate your bloodlimit?" Sasuke tried again, once more with that annoyingly casual tone, apparently not willing to give up any time soon.

"What about _you_?" Naruto snapped, fed up with the man's nosiness. He didn't care what the answer was, he just wanted the questions to stop. "Not all Uchiha have the Sharingan, right?"

Naruto wouldn't claim to be an expert on the Uchiha Clan, in fact he was far from it, but when he had first declared the young Uchiha his rival at the tender age of ten Naruto had gone to the public archives with the intent to destroy the other boy. It wasn't a memory Naruto was proud of, he had been enraged to learn about the clan's famed dōjutsu— though little was written about it, the fact that the bastard actually had something to be smug about irked him to no end— but then he had quickly learned about the massacre, a purging of the village for crimes unspeakable, and he had shoved the scroll away from him before he could learn more. Since Sasuke had returned, Naruto hadn't been able to bring himself to go snooping again.

Sasuke was quiet for so long Naruto was sure that the topic had been closed, a relieved sigh escaping between his lips at the thought. He glanced back to the now fully dark sky, wishing it would rain so he could run home and leave the annoying alpha in the dust, but for now he wouldn't run. He had run from the man once before and look where that had landed him.

"No, not all Uchiha acquire the Sharingan," Sasuke's voice was soft, nearly startling Naruto out of the peaceful silence that had settled over them. He released a small snort, a scoff caused from a memory better left forgotten maybe, but he refused to share upon it when Naruto glanced over at him. Instead his gaze stayed on the road, staring at nothing until the pools of light that formed under each lamp every few yards gave a glimpse of more nothing.

When Sasuke finally spoke again, it made Naruto's throat go dry. "They say that our bloodlimit only activates in times of great stress. Mine came while I watched my brother murder my family."

Naruto definitely hadn't been expecting that and couldn't suppress the small surprised gasp from escaping his lips as his blood ran cold. Fortunately, the alpha was already continuing before he could come up with a reply (because honestly, what do you say to that?).

"I could barely feel the stinging in my eyes as my Sharingan first activated, all I could focus on were my parents," Sasuke's tone had maintained its deep timbre, a low monotone, but a small crease formed between his brows. "My father stating that he would gladly kill me himself for the pride of the clan if I proved to be a beta, and my mother easily agreeing, all before my brother drove his blade through their hearts."

Naruto was startled as the taller man seemed to shake himself before giving a low chuckle, his dark eyes darting over to meet Naruto's wide blue. "I guess what they said about stress was right."

Naruto gulped and looked away, unable to continue staring into the eyes of man next to him. He couldn't handle all of the pain and sadness, the bitterness hiding barely beneath their dark surface, all feelings he knew all too well. And that tight smile, doing a pisspoor job at covering up all that pain, made his heart clench a little too much for his liking.

A heavy silence fell over them, the air thick with unspoken words and seeming to clog Naruto's throat more than the humidity that had been quickly building through their walk.

Thunder rumbled in the near distance and Naruto sighed, running a hand through his wild hair. "I was seven," he finally said and didn't need to look over to know that Sasuke was looking at him. The air was thick with the alpha's scent, as well with the smell of the oncoming rain, and Naruto could feel every fiber of Sasuke's being focused on him.

He knew that he didn't need to say anything, but the other man had shared something extremely personal when he really didn't need to (Naruto had been acting like an asshole to be honest) so it was the least Naruto could do to answer _some _of his questions. He guessed it wouldn't kill him to open up a little to someone.

Naruto shrugged, playing off the nerves as if they were nothing. "I- uh- I was hanging out on this roof, hiding after playing a prank on Iruka-sensei I think," a small smile came to his lips as he remembered how his old teacher used to try to comfort him whenever he got into one of his 'moods', and as the 'totally well adjusted and mature youth' that Naruto was he would often retaliate with a well thought out prank on the beta. "Anyway, I was walking on the ledge when these two guys come sprinting across the rooftop from the one next to it, and the second one bumped me."

Thunder struck again and Naruto looked up quickly, a small drop of water landed on his cheek narrowly missing his eye and causing him to flinch. He wrinkled his nose in discomfort before continuing. "I fell three stories into the vacant lot next door and landed on a piece of metal piping sticking out of a crumbled wall—"

A low growl to his right made Naruto jerk quickly to the side, his muscles tensing instantly on alert for danger, only to meet blood-red eyes. His steps faltered, his gaze caught in the intense stare of the Sharingan until suddenly Sasuke huffed and looked away.

"So what happened next?" Sasuke's voice was rough, but it appeared he had gotten himself under control.

Naruto had to shake himself, not fully able to understand the anger the other man just displayed on his behalf. Having the alpha get all huffy over another possible dominant's advances was one thing, understandable if unappreciated. Likewise for seeing Naruto get physically hurt earlier —because an alpha couldn't very well have an injured mate— But _this… _seeing Sasuke get triggered by things that happened long ago— _accidents _at that— was a completely different matter. Showing _concern _and _interest _about the past (or the present, honestly) wasn't supposed to be apart of the Process (not that Naruto had any intention of giving in to it). Still, Naruto felt a warmth growing in his belly. He quickly shoved it back down.

"Uh," Naruto cleared his throat trying to remember where he'd left off, "right, so I think my body went into shock or something." He heard Sasuke snort next to him in a 'no shit' sort of way and it made his shoulders relax a little. Naruto's lips twitched into a small smile as he felt the other man relaxing next to him as well. "I passed out and by the time I woke up it was night and for some reason I felt ok enough to lift my body off the pipe."

Naruto glanced over to the dark haired man again to see his eyes once again on him. "It went through here," he gestured vaguely to his side. He didn't miss the way Sasuke's gaze sharpened on that point, or the way his own heartbeat picked up at the intensity of the look.

"So that's it," Naruto finished lamely, licking his suddenly dry lips, "my bloodlimit had kicked in and healed me so I didn't die or whatever." Naruto wondered if it was his turn to crack a bad joke, maybe stating that his Granny had been pissed about all the blood when he's gotten home that night, but thought better of it. Besides, it was once again quiet.

"So what you're saying is," Sasuke's voice cutting through the peace made Naruto roll his eyes in mild amusement, "all that time at the academy when we were beating the shit out of each other, I didn't need to hold back?"

Naruto squawked in indignation.

Sasuke's deep laugh was like a gentle balm while Naruto pouted with his arms crossed as he tried to ignore the man's presence.

The rain fell hard as the two walked on.

* * *

**A.N.- **Hope that was ok! See you next week, and of course if you have any questions than hit me up!


	5. Part 4- June

**AN- **Finally a long chapter! This one is all over the place as far as emotion goes... though I guess they all are lol.

Holy crap! A reader pointed out to me something that is probably confusing and I totally didn't catch it in my hundreds of times reading this over! So, for clarification (I know it's kinda late and I should post this on earlier chapters but oh well), the heat hits every 6 months, it lasts for 3 day/nights in which everyone is horny/pretty much out of their minds with lust, after those days are over beta and alpha go back to normal while omega have their periods for 5 days (unless they are pregnant). The reason why Naruto had his period on the first day of his first heat was because his body was going through the puberty of becoming an omega and had to open (ew) hence the bleeding. I hope that makes sense... That's what I get for messing with the ABO verse lol

OK! Please R&R and enjoy!

5\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 4)

June

Naruto closed his eyes and a small smile came to his lips as the sound of his grandmother's humming washed over him. The melody was nearly covered by the sound of running water, but Naruto's ears were tuned into the sound enough to wash out all other distractions.

He liked this one. It was one his mother used to sing to him when he was younger.

"I think that plate's clean, brat," Tsunade's amused voice cut through his bliss as her humming abruptly stopped.

Naruto looked down at the plate in his hands and noticed that it was in fact sparkling. He shot his granny a sheepish grin and quickly ran the dishware under the faucet to wash off the suds before handing her the plate.

Tsunade snorted, shaking her head in fond amusement, but took the plate nonetheless to start drying it as Naruto moved to the next dish.

They stayed in comfortable silence, Tsunade starting up her humming not soon after, and Naruto let out a sigh of contentment. It was moments like these that he enjoyed. Little things. Tsunade had just finished making dinner for later tonight (some pasta dish that left the kitchen in ruins) and now Naruto was taking the time to help her clean up the mess. After a thorough wipe-down of the floor, counters, stove, _and _refrigerator (honestly, how does she do that?) the two blondes set about washing and drying the dishes. Naruto didn't mind helping, though he did wonder why it took so many plates to make pasta…

"I had a visitor at the hospital today," Tsunade's voice broke Naruto out of his soapy thoughts. At her grandson's raised eyebrow she continued. "An Uchiha brought his mate in for his twelve week ultrasound."

It was like a bucket of ice water was dumped on Naruto. His body froze as images of Sasuke with some other omega whose stomach was barely beginning to grow with their unborn child flashed through Naruto's mind and suddenly he felt sick.

Then the anger came, unrestrained and full of bitter hatred, because _how dare he_. How could that bastard go around acting like he wanted Naruto when he already had a mate! Just because Naruto had spurned him during the heat and made it clear since then that he wasn't interested, it didn't give the alpha right to play with him. _And that other omega…_

"Alphas, _really_," Tsunade sighed in exasperation, though her gaze was firmly fixed on the ever changing emotions flashing across her grandson's face. "Waiting three months into the pregnancy to get his omega checked by a doctor was really unacceptable, but he _insisted _that he would know if something was wrong. The stubborn ass." At Naruto's clenched jaw, she continued, "Apparently the only reason he bothered coming into town at all was to visit his brother."

At his granny's words Naruto's eyes snapped to her face. "What?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Uchiha Itachi, he was in town visiting his brother. He said he's been back for a few months." She noticed the way Naruto's shoulders seemed to slump, how he took a calming breath and nodded slowly. Something was up. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why didn't you tell me the Uchiha-brat was back in town?" Because there was no way Naruto wouldn't know, because apparently the brat was an alpha like his brother.

Naruto blinked out of his thoughts, his eyes widening as they took in his grandmother's narrowed gaze. "Uh," he scratched his nose and only grimaced slightly when he noticed his fingers were still wet from the dishes. "It wasn't important," he finally said with a shrug of his shoulders.

'_And that's true,' _Naruto silently thought as Tsunade eyed him one last time before urging him to grab another dish. Sasuke may know what he is and be pursuing him for his own nefarious purposes, but Naruto had no intention of giving in so there was no need to needlessly worry his granny. Naruto nodded to himself.

"Ah! You gotta get going," Tsunade announced a few minutes later with a glance at the kitchen clock.

Naruto followed her gaze and held back a curse when he noticed that he should have left a few minutes ago. He quickly turned off the tap and dried his hands, cursing the fact that there were still a few dishes left. He was sure granny would make Jiraiya finish them up after he woke up from his nap, though he wouldn't hold his breath that they would get done at all.

"You going to be ok?" He asked as he made his way to the front door, Tsunade following close behind.

"What are you talking about, brat?" Tsunade asked with a wave of her hand. "You should be asking the old fart that."

Naruto snorted in amusement, knowing she was talking about her brother. The man being only a year older than her wasn't lost on him, but the fact that Jiraiya looked years older never ceased to please Tsunade (and the two blondes pointed it out regularly).

"You go have fun at your little party," she finished not failing to sound her true age.

Naruto couldn't suppress a laugh. "Alright, alright. I'm going." He slipped on his sandals and grabbed the small present he had left by the door. "I shouldn't be back too late," he assured as he stepped through the front door.

"Don't forget my booze!" Came his grandmother's call as the door closed behind him causing Naruto to roll his eyes.

…

Sasuke smirked as Naruto came into view. He wouldn't say he had been _waiting _for the omega, because that would imply stalking and Uchihas don't _stalk_, but if he _happened _to be leaning against some random building that Naruto just _happened _to pass then it must be fate. It didn't matter that he had been there for a few hours. Sasuke _liked _loitering. He was a rebel that way.

He let his eyes travel over Naruto's figure. It was a very rare occasion that he got to see the other man outside of work (other than their nightly walks home) and so seeing Naruto dressed so casually was a treat. Sure he had seen Naruto in workout clothes, but this was different. The silver and blue headband that all alpha normally wore during working hours was gone, and while it somehow looked strange to see Naruto with his blond locks falling upon his face looking wild and untamable, it made Sasuke's blood stir in appreciation. Naruto was wearing a sky blue button up shirt (short sleeved due to the sweltering weather) and tan khaki shorts above his dark tan sandals. The overall look was impressive. With warmth filling his belly, Sasuke pushed himself off the well used wall and approached the unsuspecting blond.

Naruto's body tensed right before he heard the footsteps approach. His nose twitched as it picked up the unmistakable scent of Uchiha Sasuke and his eyes rose to meet the oncoming alpha.

At the sight of the other man, the flood of emotions from earlier came back to Naruto, momentarily taking his breath away before he righted himself and scowled. Now he was angry, much angrier than before. Angry at himself for thinking that way— for even being upset over the possibility of Sasuke finding another mate (because _who cares?!)— _angry at Sasuke for getting in his head— for even being there in the first place— angry at this whole damn society.

Sasuke stopped short when Naruto's doe eyed look suddenly turned into a glare. He hadn't seen Naruto look this venomous in a while, and wasn't sure if it was something he did or…

Reaching out a cautious hand to the smaller man as if he were approaching a rabid animal, Sasuke asked, "Dobe?"

Naruto gave a huff (that sounded more like a growl) of irritation and turned away before he continued walking. Sasuke couldn't do anything but follow.

…

Sasuke looked up at the shop sign that read _'Hananaka'_ and raised an eyebrow. The shop was cute he supposed. The letters on the sign were outlined in black and filled in with pink, and there were elegant calligraphy style mountains on either side. The walls of the small shop were a dainty yellow, its window linings pink with green shutters that made it look more quaint than tacky. Potted plants lined the storefront, filled with beautiful flowers that instantly caught the customers' eyes.

Sasuke just wondered one thing as he followed Naruto in: why the hell were they at a flower shop?

"You made it!"

The abrupt cry from Ino was enough to make Sasuke scowl. It was bad enough that Naruto was in a bad mood— _ignoring _him like he had so many times in the past— but now he had to deal with her too?

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Naruto replied, an easy smile coming to his face that made Sasuke's blood boil in outrage, because what the hell?

Ino waved him off, "Don't worry about it." It was only then that she seemed to notice Sasuke, though how she missed him was a mystery since he stood a head taller than Naruto. "Oh, hey Sasuke," she greeted him with a pleasant smile.

He just nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't miss the way Naruto's shoulders stiffened in front of him at his name. He released a breath of frustration, but didn't say anything.

"I'll just get the fam and we can go," Ino said before leaving through the back door.

When Sasuke realized that Naruto wasn't going to acknowledge him (the omega was wandering down an isle of fresh cut flowers) he decided to take a look around himself. The majority of the shop was littered with narrow black tubs that held colorful flowers. Some were pre-made bouquets wrapped in shiny cellophane, while others were just loose so the customer could choose. The smell was nearly overwhelming, causing Sasuke's nose to twitch in distaste. Along two walls were cabinets that held shelves of glass figures, some of them opening to be used as a pot or vase with their own beautiful flowery display held inside.

Sasuke wandered to the back wall, where the door Ino had disappeared through was located. A register sat lonely on a long desk, wrapping paper lay scattered messily next to it. On one side of the register there was a little shelving unit that held short circular bottles with a glossy pink and green label on it. Sasuke absently picked it up to read the label.

'Cherry-chan' the product was called, with pictures of cherry blossoms in the background. The subscript read, 'organic moisturizer, helps soothes irritated skin and burns'. Sasuke placed the bottle back not caring to learn more.

"Can I help you?"

The woman's voice brought Sasuke out of his perusing and he looked up to see a short brunette coming towards him from between a row of flowers. Once she was finally behind the desk, she was close enough for Sasuke to pick up her scent. Omega. Mated.

"Hey Mrs. Yamanaka," Naruto's cheerful voice came from behind him before Sasuke could respond. Sasuke had to do a double take, because this woman with dusty brown hair pulled back in a professional looking bun and reddish brown eyes couldn't be Ino's mother. He squinted, taking in the way she smiled at Naruto, her eyes crinkling slightly at the sides. Yeah, that was Ino's smile, her eye shape too, and maybe the slight roundness of her chin, but everything else the tall alpha must have gotten from her father.

"How are you doing, Naruto dear?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked Naruto as he handed her a bouquet of blue flowers that Sasuke didn't know the name of.

Naruto shrugged, "Doing ok. Been busy. The shop looks great."

Mrs. Yamanaka smiled in pleasure. "You're always so sweet."

Something tickled in the back of Sasuke's memory. "_Now the best she can do is volunteer at her mom's shop in her free time." _Naruto's pain and frustration had seemed more important than his words at the time. After all, what did Sasuke care about Ino? He understood that Naruto wanted more, that he thought life wasn't fair, but there was something about that particular statement that Sasuke hadn't fully grasped the importance of until now. _Her mom's shop. _

Sasuke didn't have time to ponder over Naruto's words further because a high pitched shriek filled the air making all of them cringe.

"Uncle Naru!"

All eyes turned to watch as a little strawberry-blonde haired girl bolted through the doorway, her pigtails flying out behind her as she made a beeline for Naruto.

Naruto absolutely _beamed _and bent down to scoop up the small girl before she could bowl him over. "There's my big girl," he laughed as she locked her arms around his neck.

"Hanako-chan, I said no running." The reprimand was said more in exasperation then as a punishment, the amusement clear in her voice, but as the pink haired woman walked through the doorway her eyes lit with excitement. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Cherry-chan," Naruto grinned as he snuggled closer to Sakura's daughter.

Sasuke didn't even acknowledge her, he was too busy watching his blonde omega. It didn't matter that the child wasn't his. Seeing Naruto holding and snuggling and _loving _a child so closely (especially one that looked so similar to Naruto himself) just looked right. It created a warmth in him that steadily began to burn as a deep hum of satisfaction rumbled through him. Sasuke could already feel himself getting hard and had to look away before anyone noticed his arousal. He made sure to take a few steps closer towards the flowers while he calmed down, there was no need to get Naruto more upset with him than he already was if he smelled him now.

Ino came next, carrying an infant on her hip.

"And there's my other little one," Naruto said as he approached the pair. "Hey Ichiro-chan, happy birthday buddy." He held up the present he had brought from home and the little boy grabbed it with clumsy fingers, immediately bringing it to his mouth to gum at the paper. Naruto laughed as Ino quickly pulled it out of the baby's mouth. "Sorry it's a bit crushed." Apparently his anger got the better of it.

Ino laughed him off and helped Ichiro open his gift. Inside was a little plushie fox holding onto a yellow blankie about the size of a washcloth. Ichiro's name had been inscribed onto the cloth. Ino looked at Naruto with wide eyes.

"I didn't know what to get him," Naruto shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "I know you guys have a bazillion toys and he could always use clothes, but will grow out of them in a few months, so… I wanted to give him something he could hold on to. Apparently Granny embroiders now too." He gave a small chuckle, remembering a joke that none of them got.

Naruto released a small grunt of surprise as Ino gave him a tight hug, both children squealing in delight as they were all but crushed between them.

"Thank you," Ino whispered against his hair before stepping away.

Naruto smiled at the taller blonde, warmth in his chest from her show of gratitude. His soft gaze landed on the little boy in her arms who was now playing with his new toy, swinging it in the air to hear the little bell in it before gnawing gently at the fox's velvety ear. His fingers itched to reach out, to brush against the boys soft skin, through his feathery hair, to smell his baby skin, but he turned away instead to grab his flowers off the counter.

When Naruto finally looked up, Sasuke was glaring at him from across the room with his arms crossed tightly over his broad chest. Naruto raised an eyebrow, after all that look was rarely directed towards him nowadays, and dark eyes flicked behind him for a moment before returning to him once more.

Naruto's body twitched in an attempt to look behind him in the direction Sasuke's eyes looked, but joyful laughter came from that direction where Ino was showing Sakura Ichiro's new toy, and his question was answered.

'_He's jealous,' _Naruto thought, his eyes narrowing in challenge at the cool onyx eyes still focused on him. '_Stupid bastard.'_

Naruto was rewarded for his efforts when Sasuke released a small growl of anger before he looked away, a pouty frown marring his too perfect face. Naruto chose to ignore the tingling of excitement that had bubbled in his belly when those eyes were on him. It didn't mean anything.

…

"So, what is this thing we're going to?" Sasuke asked once they had been walking for a few minutes.

Naruto snorted next to him— a clear sign that the blond thought he shouldn't even be there if he didn't even know the reason _why _he was there, but Sasuke ignored him in favor of looking to Ino for answers.

"It's our semi-annual birthday celebration," Ino explained with a shrug. "Our ANBU unit and some people from our academy class all meet up to wish each other's children happy birthday and to maybe exchange small gifts. We have an even bigger one in December. It's a fun time to just hang out and see how everyone is doing. That, and it's good for business. This year we're meeting at Choji's BBQ restaurant."

Sasuke nodded. That made sense, since everyone in the village was conceived in either the spring or the fall then they all had generally the same birthdays. Parties would get expensive and redundant what with the amount of children couples tended to have, so it worked better to have a joint get together.

Sasuke's eyes drifted to the bouquet of flowers Naruto was holding and he had to force down another flood of jealousy that rushed through him. Whoever would be on the receiving end of those flowers must be very special to the blond. He made himself look away.

...

The sun was high overhead and it was becoming unbearably hot, but it didn't seem to bother the little girl who kept darting ahead of them just far enough of her parents to leave them on edge but not far enough to get herself in trouble. Her giggles of joy brought a small smile to Sasuke's face. It must be nice.

His gaze drifted over to the couple next to him who had been quietly chatting for the past few minutes— a large contrast to the pair of loud obnoxious girls he remembered from his childhood, though the same could be said about the silent omega next to him.

Sakura was now holding little Ichiro—who was happily sucking on his new stuffy as he snuggled against his mommy's shoulder— her expression peaceful, content. Loving. Sasuke's eyes moved down to the intertwined fingers; one hand delicate and pale, the other strong and yet still feminine.

Sasuke couldn't help but turn and look down at the tan hand hanging limply just inches to his left. It too was strong, on the smaller side, but looked anything but feminine. And Sasuke wanted desperately to hold it.

He wondered what Naruto would do if he took hold of it now. Would he let him? Probably not. That didn't diminish the feeling growing deep inside him.

It might have been how intensely he had been staring at Naruto or just coincidence, but the other man looked over at him just then. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment before glancing down at his hand when Sasuke's own dark eyes shot back down to it. He frowned— his nose wrinkling up in a way that Sasuke couldn't help but find cute—and fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment before switching the bouquet of flowers to his right hand, effectively blocking all attempt Sasuke had at snatching up his hand. Then Naruto's gaze returned to the road, his face once again a blank mask.

Sasuke couldn't hold back a small smile, even as his heart thumped painfully in his chest. He knew it.

…

"So Ino," Sasuke began—no, not because he was feeling _chatty,_ but because it had been bugging him and _someone _was ignoring him. And why was it taking so damn long to get there anyway?! It was too damn hot to be out here!— "Was that your family's shop?"

"Huh," Ino looked up, clearly distracted from whatever she had been discussing with her mate. "Oh uh, no actually. It belongs to my mother."

Sasuke had assumed as much. Naruto's previous words and his conversation with the older woman had hinted as such, but having Ino's confirmation just solidified that suspicion. But the fact that the business was run and owned by an _omega_ and not a beta as Sasuke had initially assumed definitely created questions and shined a new light on things.

Something in Sasuke's face must have made Ino a little nervous because she gave a hesitant chuckleー something quite unusual for the normally confident womanーas a light blush came to her cheeks. "You see," she elaborated, though Sasuke didn't ask for it (even if he was glad she was), "I'm my parents only child."

It was then that Ino glanced over at Sakura and gave her a reassuring smile that the pinkette returned. Sasuke assumed the female omega had squeezed Ino's hand as some form of comfort. It was very unusual for an alpha and their mate to have only one child (nearly unheard of, even) so Sasuke assumed there was some traumatic reason behind Ino's parents to stop at one.

"Apparently there was a complication or something when I was born that left my mother barren," Ino continued, her attention back on Sasuke. "It sucked, obviously, but I guess I was enough of a handful when I was little to kept her busy."

That statement made both Sakura and Naruto snicker. Sasuke thought he heard Naruto mumble "I bet" under his breath, but he couldn't be sure.

"Anyway," Ino went on with a roll of her eyes, her shoulder bumping lightly against Sakura's, "Once I started up at the academy she had nothing to do…"

Sasuke thought for a moment. What would that be like to have nothing to do? To have no purpose. As an alpha, Sasuke was strong, a warrior, a protector. Betas were needed. They owned businesses, ran farms; they were the backbone of the village's entire economy. Omegas were the ones who could create the future. The only ones physically capable of bearing children. To lose that…

Sasuke's eyes moved to Naruto, whose golden head was bent down to avoid the blinding sun, and he felt fear. Fear that the reason why Naruto was pushing him away, had denied him so thoroughly was because of that same loss. But thenーno. Sasuke had _smelled _him. That scent had been a very fertile omega with a very working womb.

What Naruto was looking for was _purpose. _At least a different kind than the one he had been born into.

"It was my father's idea." Ino's words broke Sasuke out of his thoughts and he looked at her questioningly. She smiled fondly, though the look was clearly not meant for him. "When they had first mated and he stayed home from his ANBU duties my mother had worked in the garden a lot."

Ino's smile was still there, like she could see her mother working in her small backyard, trying to make her new house a home, with Ino's protective father sitting close behind watching over her. Even if Ino hadn't been born at the time, Sasuke was sure she had seen that scene many times throughout her childhood if that wistful look was anything to go by. Ino may have done something similar herself when she and Sakura had first mated. Sasuke wondered what it must have been like, to have a mate (possibly one that you had never met before) pregnant and moving in with you, to create a home togetherーa future.

Always being on the road, Sasuke had never really thought about it, he had no reason to. There had never been anyone to pique his interests anyway, but the thought was both thrilling and frightening when he really thought about it. But if it was someone he really cared about…

"So he suggested opening the flower shop," Ino said, shattering the image that had been beginning to form in Sasuke's mind. His mind was a bit dazed so he blinked his eyes to clear his head, a frown creasing his brow in the process. Ino once again misunderstood Sasuke's expression because she continued with a sigh. "I know, it's _unusual_, but it pays the bills and it's not like anyone…" She gave a shrug, a wave of her hand and Sasuke knew what she meant.

No one would attempt to claim an omega that was mated to an alpha without risking the alpha's wrath. It was an unspoken role that the alpha had full rights to defend what was his or her's even upon committing murder to do so. Their instincts took over and that was that. Alphas mated for life, so now that Sasuke thought about it he wasn't all that surprised about Ino's parents. Her father must love her mother very much.

Sasuke gave a nod and Ino beamed, clearly pleased that he didn't have anything negative to say about an omega owning a business (because if he did than there would be trouble).

Sasuke frowned as his eyes absently took in the dirt road at his feet while Ino prattled on about her mother's businessーhow she grew her own flowers and made everything sold in shop. — Why would he be upset? Sasuke wondered. _Should _he be feeling anything other than mild curiosity and surprise that an omega stepped out of their comfort zone, no, out of their "social norm" to do something different with their lives? To do something more when there was nothing left of the past? He didn't think so. Would it be different under other circumstances? Taking on the role of a beta was one thing, butー

"Ugh! Finally!" Naruto's loud shout as Choji's restaurant came into view snapped Sasuke's attention to him with a start. His tan skin, golden hair, blue eyes, and sunny smile were nearly blinding.

'_Oh,' _was all Sasuke could think.

…

The overwhelming loudness was the first thing Sasuke noticed. Loud and hot (though not as hot as outside thankfully, the air conditioner was trying its best against what was sure to be past max capacity of the building's customer base) but the rich aroma of meat that wafted through the air was a pleasant balm against the otherwise oppressing atmosphere.

Ino and her family were immediately lost in the shuffle of people as the blond alpha shouted out a boisterous greeting to someone before disappearing. Sasuke's hand quickly found the back of Naruto's shirt, his clawed hand digging into the soft blue cotton at Naruto lower back while the shorter man moved forward into the crowd. If Naruto noticed he didn't make any sign of it, too busy greeting everyone with a charming smile and a handshake or friendly pat on the shoulder (the like of which was returned and made Sasuke's nostrils flare and his grip tighten).

...

'_Wait,' _Sasuke thought slowly as his brain tried to piece together what was happening. His eyes drifted from the dark haired woman, whose pale face was now a lovely shade of red, to the blond man standing next to him and his frown deepened.

His head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed in concentration as they moved back to the woman who was smiling sweetly, her small voice coming out shy and full of hesitant stutters.

'_But...wait…' _

Sasuke was really having a hard time wrapping his head around this, because it _seemed _that the woman— Hinata, his mind corrected— was acting as if…

'_What, but—' _His eyes darted to the brunet man across the table, laughing at some joke that one of his fellow ANBU members said, completely oblivious.

… In fact, no one seemed to notice the omega woman's odd behavior, so maybe Sasuke was just seeing things. But… Naruto. Naruto was acting strange. He still looked the same, or at least Sasuke supposed he did to everyone who wasn't really _looking,_ but something was just _off_. Naruto now appeared tenser than he had been all evening, his back a little straighter and his smile strained at the corners where before it had been completely natural. There was something there in his eyes as they swept over the gathering that just didn't look right.

'_So…' _It was really difficult for Sasuke's mind to grip onto even an inkling of this thought, because Hinata was an _omega _who was _mated _to an _alpha. _So why was she looking at Naruto that way? _That way_, a way that brought a blush to her face and a stutter to her lips. _That way_, that implied that she had _feelings _for a man that she wasn't mated to. It just didn't make sense.

The wailing of a young baby momentarily shattered Sasuke's thoughts and his attention was drawn to the infant cradled in the basket next to Hinata. Hinata's delicate hands moved to soothe the child, but it was Kiba who spoke up.

"Does he need to be changed? I got it." And with that he stood and reached across the table for his son. Hinata smiled gratefully at her husband, but didn't move from her place at the table.

After grabbing the diaper bag Inuzuka started to move past them towards the bathroom and Sasuke thought all this ridiculousness could finally be over with, but Kiba paused by Naruto and smiled cheekily before saying, "You'll look after the fam for me, right Cap'?"

Naruto's nod looked shaky to Sasuke. Kiba didn't seem to notice.

Kiba chuckled as he turned to leave, "Great! Can't trust anyone else with my mate but you, buddy!"

Sasuke's jaw clenched as Naruto's shoulders tensed more. Yeah, apparently he hadn't been imagining things.

Inuzuka's absence was definitely felt. Naruto tried to talk to the children, apparently Ino's runts weren't the only ones the blond was good with; children drew him to them like bees to honey and vice-versa. Naruto had been all smiles and laughter most of the time they had been thereー a large contrast to the near silence that had preceded the gatheringー but that had all gone away once they had reached the Inuzuka table. It was so unlike the blond to not give _more, _Sasuke had noticed the change right away.

Now Naruto's half-grin was focused on the twins, Tsume-chan and Ake-chan, as he desperately tried to ignore their mother's gaze. It wasn't hard what with the two year olds sword fighting with their flowers from their highchairs just in front of Naruto's thighs.

Sasuke's eyes drifted down to Naruto's hand that had once held a large bouquet of flowers, but now held just a few stragglers— poor almost wilting flowers that barely stood up to the hustle and bustle of all of the meet and greets that Naruto had gone through— and the necks of two bottles of _sake _the blond had purchased earlier from Choji stating that his grandmother would kill him if he returned home empty handed.

He smiled. He had been so jealous that Naruto had gotten that damn bouquet for someone special, and he had been right. As it turned out, Naruto gave a flower to every child who was celebrating their birthday today. It was a small gift, something that would only last a day or so, but it was the thought that counted. It showed that someone outside of their family was thinking of them, had remembered them.

Honestly, Sasuke should have known. It was just like Naruto to do something like that. Now Ino's reaction to Ichiro's gift made more sense. Naruto's gift was personal, not just a flower, but something meant just for her child. It showed how important their relationship was.

Another spike of jealousy shot through the alpha at that thought. The knowledge that Ino had been there for Naruto when he couldn't be, but then Kiba was returning and he had to push the feeling aside for the moment.

"Thanks Cap'," Kiba said, patting Naruto on the shoulder as he moved past him before handing the six month old off to Hinata. "I hope you guys didn't have too much fun without meー Ah, move over squirtー" he gently nudged his daughter who had been sitting in his seat further down in the booth, the three and a half year old crawled on all fours before plastering her face to the window.

Naruto took a step back and Sasuke took that as his cue to leave as well.

"Oh!" Kiba's voice halted them in their tracks and Sasuke wanted to slam his face into the wall despite his cheery disposition because Naruto had just flinched. "Before I forget, I wanted to invite you over for dinner next week. Hina says I'm no fun to be around and she wanted some company." The stupid pout on Kiba's face showed that he was just joking (or he at least thought that Hinata was), though his offer was genuine, and he gave a nod of acceptance when all Naruto said was "I'll have to see."

Sasuke's eyes drifted across the table and landed once again on Hinata. She wasn't looking at Naruto this time, but her face was once again flushed and a gentle smile was gracing her features as she stared down at her lap.

He growled and walked away.

…...

It didn't take long for them to make their way out of the restaurant. In fact, the two men had made a straight beeline towards the exit as soon as Naruto had said his goodbyes to Kiba. Sasuke was pretty sure that Naruto wasn't even aware of the people he was passing on his mad dash out, his shoulders bumped into more than a few and he didn't even pause long enough to mutter an apology.

As Sasuke followed the blond omega's hurried footsteps into the busy street, he was reminded of that night nearly three months ago when he had chased Naruto down after their dinner with Ino. Naruto's harsh breathing, his frantic eyes, the lost look on his face, and the feeling of hopelessness that Sasuke felt when he realized that there was nothing he could do to make the situation better because he didn't understand it.

He couldn't let that happen again. Sasuke may not know exactly what was going on between Naruto and Hinata, but he knew enough. Months ago, he had the nerve to think he knew Naruto enough to have the right to pry into his life, into his feelingsーand maybe it had been his possessive instincts left over from the heat that had driven him to be so demanding and clingyー but it was different now, he _knew _Narutoーat least the parts the blond had been finally willing to give up, begrudgingly or notー and he wanted to do everything in his power to make whatever was hurting Naruto go away.

But not here.

Sasuke's eyes traveled over the wide dirt road noticing the amount of people still strolling about despite the hour. It was true that it was still generally early, the sun wouldn't set for hours yet since it was the peak of summer, but most people should have headed home to start preparing for dinner. The thought that they hadn't already annoyed Sasuke. With a tsk, the alpha spotted a secluded alleyway up ahead and quickly grabbed Naruto's arm before dragging him into it.

The alley was narrow, stuck between some restaurantーa _dango_ shop maybe?ーand an apartment building. A generator jutted out of the side of the shop's wall blowing out hot air that turned that corridor into a humid sauna steaming the laundry that spanned the two buildings high above. Sasuke immediately considered dragging them back into the streetー even his lungs felt wetー but then thought of the _sun _and the _people _and released Naruto's arm so the blond could make his way deeper into the shadowy passageway.

When Naruto's fist connected with the brick wall of the apartment complex with a harsh cry all thoughts of uncomfortable skin flew from Sasuke's mind.

"_Hey,_" Sasuke called in alarm, quickly moving to Naruto's side to take up his hand for inspection. The knuckles were raw and bleeding, but the wound was already healing and Sasuke's grip tightened on the smaller hand, his thumb lightly brushing away the small bits of dirt and rubble before they got sealed under the new skin. He felt Naruto flinch in his hold, from Sasuke's ministrations or contact alone he wasn't sure, but he chose to ignore him.

Naruto wasn't looking at him, his golden head bowed nearly touching the brick wall, but Sasuke could see his shoulders shaking, his chest quietly heaving, and he was afraid of what he would see once Naruto looked at him.

He took a deep breath and lowered Naruto's hand so it just hung between them still in his grasp as a sign of comfort. Naruto didn't complain.

"Does Kiba know?" He finally asked. He didn't think so. Kiba, with all of his barbarism was still a man of integrity. Whatever this was, he must not know.

A harsh laugh escaped Naruto's throat sounding wet and bitter. "Are you insane? If he knew, he'dー" he cut himself off with another unamused laugh, his head shaking in denial before a hand came up to wipe at his downturned face.

Sasuke swallowed thickly. No, of course not. Kiba was an alpha, no matter his loyalties to Naruto, his family, his omega came first. If he saw Naruto as a threat then there would be consequences.

He paused before asking his next question, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. "Do you like her?"

Naruto looked up at him then and Sasuke really wished he hadn't. He looked swollen just under his eyes, making way for tear tracks that lead to red and splotchy cheeks, matching an equally rosy nose. His eyes were big, blue, glistening pools that somehow caught what little light that managed to creep into the alleyway and made it dance in their watery depths. As always, Sasuke's first thought was '_Beautiful,'_ but then that bottom lip trembled and Naruto released a choked sob as his resolve once again crumbled.

"_No," _Naruto cried as he curled in on himself, a new wave of tears racking his body. He was only half aware of the arms encircling him to pull him against a strong chest. Neither man noticed the soft 'clink' as the two _sake _bottles landed in the dirt at their feet luckily undamaged from the short fall.

Sasuke looked down at the top of Naruto's head with a concerned frown as he ran his hand up and down the smaller man's back. The subtle smell of lavender wafted up from Naruto's messy blond locks, and Sasuke gently ran his nose and cheek against it in some form of comfort, for him or the crying omega he couldn't be certain.

He wondered if he should question Naruto more— _Kami_ knows he wanted to. He still couldn't comprehend how a mated omega could even think about straying from her alpha. It just didn't happen—but the way Naruto was gripping onto his shirt like a lifeline made him hesitate to push further. He didn't want to break this contact, no matter how selfish that made him.

It turned out he didn't need to. Naruto's shuddering breath warmed his skin through his shirt as the omega tried to calm himself enough to speak.

"It's not fair," his voice came out muffled through Sasuke's shirt, broken, the same statement that Sasuke had heard before, but no less meaningful.

"I can't—" Naruto paused taking a deep but shaky breath in, before rubbing his wet face against Sasuke's collarbone. Sasuke tightened his hold and waited. He knew that this moment right here and now was important. Now _something_ could and would change if he let it.

"It's _hard_." The words came out as harsh cracking of Naruto's throat. "It's hard," he repeated, "being around you, _all _of you constantly. It _hurts." _

Sasuke's heart froze, his arms slackening as he took in the omega's words. But then, Naruto's fingers tightened in his shirt reminding the alpha that he was supposed to be comforting him and he tightened his grip, his hand resuming its gentle up and down rhythm along Naruto's spine, even as dread grew in his chest.

"Youーbeing surrounded by dominant scents is overwhelming and uncomfortable. It's just so—" Naruto released a quick puff of air through his nose (which was immediately followed by a snotty sounding intake that didn't leave any hope for Sasuke's nice shirt). A growl of frustration escaped Naruto's throat and he once again rubbed his forehead on Sasuke's clavicle.

"_Hinata,_" He finally said, his voice sounding strained, but his breathing once again under control.

"I don't smell like the rest of you," Naruto continued after a pause, surprising Sasuke with the topic change, "obviously, but I kinda smell like all of you? Just not as strong, I guess."

'_Yeah,' _Sasuke thought, that was exactly what it was like when you really got close to the blond. Apparently Naruto had spent so long amongst the alpha that they had just all rubbed off on him. It was convenient for Naruto, an omega with no scent trying to hide in a cluster of alpha, but it still didn't sit well with Sasuke.

"She liked me before," Naruto said, his voice a low tired whisper that Sasuke had to strain to hear. "In the academy, did you know that?"

Sasuke didn't know if Naruto was expecting an answer, but he shook his head nonetheless. All he could remember of the girl was her standing in the corner like a scared little bunny. He had been too preoccupied by Naruto and all of his..._everything. _Had Naruto noticed her in return back then?

No, those thoughts led to dangerous territory and now was not the time to think that way.

"Hell if I know why she would like someone like me," Naruto released a humorless laugh and Sasuke frowned, deciding not to comment on that particular statement (Naruto was obviously not looking for an ego boost, besides their own relationship hadn't exactly been healthy back then). "She knew Kiba too," Naruto continued as if Sasuke had forgotten they were all classmates. "Can you imagine what it would be like to not see someone for four years and then—?"

Naruto cut himself off as though it was too painful for him to even think about, maybe it was, but Sasuke understood. Shy little Hinata was released back into the world for the first time and found herself mounted and mated to Inuzuka Kiba, the brute and bully of their academy. Even with instincts running strong, that must have been tough.

"She didn't even know how much he changed," Naruto mumbled. "And," he continued with a wet inhalation, "even with all of his loyalty and integrity and generosity— because Kiba's a _really good_ guy— he _cares _about his family. He cares about her and their kids and their future—" Sasuke knew that, he had heard the mutt gush over them on more than one occasion. "—but I smell safe. Less aggressive, less threatening, less… pheromones—" '_Arousing_,' Sasuke thought, '_enticing.' _ "—barely even there." Naruto finished in a small voice.

Sasuke swallowed thickly at those words as Naruto's claws dug deeper into the material of his shirt, their tips barely piercing his pale chest. He knew that omega had the best sense of smell out of all three second genders due to their maternal instincts, while an alpha usually had to get up close and personal to get a scent (unless they were in heat, and then it became the best so they could get to their potential mate first) an omega could be several yards away. It disturbed him that Hinata could pick up other alpha's arousals clinging to Naruto, even he couldn't now with the blond held security in his arms. He wondered what it would be like to be constantly surrounded by those scents, to be tempted and yet threatened at the same time. Then again, he didn't need to. Naruto said it himself, 'it's _hard _and it _hurts.'_

"And she remembers the familiarity," Naruto went on, unaware of the affect his words were having on the man holding him, of the answers Sasuke deeply needed to hear. "She has the devotion to Kiba—to her _alpha—_" the word came out harsh, like a curse that made Sasuke flinch, "that comes with mating, and I know she loves her children, but there is still that lingering…"

Naruto shrugged against Sasuke's torso and the alpha thought he finally understood. Hope? Doubt? Feelings for a first love that will never quite go away? Whatever Hinata was feeling, nothing would come of it, but that didn't make it any easier.

"I hate this," Naruto said quietly.

"I know," was all Sasuke could say for now. He rested his chin on Naruto's head and just kept holding him until he was ready to go home. He didn't notice the way the blond closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

…

The sun was on the horizon by the time Naruto's house came into view. The western sky was ablaze with oranges and reds swirling amongst the low hanging clouds and would have made a beautiful romantic backdrop if either of the men had been in that particular mood.

As it was, both were quiet, one in his own thoughts from the days events and the other feeling drained but better than he had an hour ago. Both men were content to stay as they were—in one another's soothing company—a while longer and their footsteps slowed in unison, seeming only slightly awkward to their already slow pace.

They were very close to Naruto's red front door when they finally came to a stop. Sasuke took this time to just watch Naruto, the way the last of the sun's rays made his skin glow and set his golden locks on fire. His blue orbs even picked up the color of the distant sky, reflecting the reds like a hauntingly ethereal beast. The sight was mesmerizing.

It was then that Sasuke wanted to share with Naruto all the thoughts that the blond had provoked within him since they had met again. The urge to apologize was strong— for his own strong scent that he could do nothing to control but was apparently causing the omega nothing but pain. His own actions upon their reunion had been brutal, filled with lust induced violence that his instincts drove. Though he felt no guilt towards his behavior— for it was the way of the world, their instincts drove them especially in times of heat— he still felt the need to apologize, remembering how much Naruto had fought (was still fighting) against him.

Worse, he knew that those apologies would come to nothing, because after all this time he couldn't use the heat as an excuse any more. He hadn't caught Naruto's scent in months and yet every day the need to claim him only grew stronger. Sasuke longed to hold Naruto with every fiber of his being, from the simplistic touch of a hand hold to a more intimate embrace that the alpha had only allowed himself to indulge in during late night hours alone after they had parted ways, and finally he wanted to experience the joining of two souls that met and became as one.

That _feeling, _that _need, _outweighed any attempts he could have made at apologizing. Sasuke wasn't sure when exactly it had changed, when his needs—his _duties_— as an alpha had shifted into something more. As he had grown to know Naruto more, respect and admiration were not hard to come by. Instead of the simple feeling of ownership, of _dominating, _that had been brought on by the heat in a possessive inferno, he now wanted to stand with the other man (though the possessiveness still lingered), to walk beside him, to lo—

Naruto coughed loudly—awkwardly—and looked away, successfully shattering Sasuke's train of thought.

"Congratulations!"

Sasuke didn't have time to be confused by Naruto's exclamation before he was shoved roughly in the chest hard enough to take a few staggering steps back. His arms immediately flew up when he felt a heavy weight being placed in the center of his chest and he moved to grab it as Naruto pulled away.

"I hear you're going to be an uncle," Naruto continued in a rush.

Sasuke looked down at the bottle of _sake _cradled against his torso in bewilderment. It was only yesterday that Itachi had come into town bringing news of Deidara's pregnancy (not that he had expected anything else) so how had—? His finger brushed the edge of something soft laying against the neck of the cool glass and he turned to bottle to get a better look.

A lone blue flower. It's stem was held tight by the little brown string tied decoratively around the bottle's neck.

Sasuke looked up with a start. Naruto was gone. He was alone with the sun now set and only the light from Naruto's porch providing any glow.

A rare gentle smile came to the alpha's lips as he looked back down at the little flower and ran his thumb along its aqua petals.

'_He remembered.'_

…

* * *

…

**AN- **Lots of things in this chapter! Hope it was enjoyable.

Names: Hanako- flower child, Ichiro- first son, Tsume- claw, Ake- dawn

As usual, if you have an questions or just want to talk then just hit me up! See you next week!


	6. Part 5- July

**AN-** I'm totally sick as a dog today and I almost didn't post, but then remembered that this chapter is crazy short (barely a chapter at all...) so I forced myself to walk upstairs to my laptop. I totally thought there were only 2 chapters left, but there are actually 3 cause of this baby...

Special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to review my story to far! Your words always make my day and inspire my to continue writing!

Please R&R and enjoy!

6\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 5)

July

"Damn, where'd you get that!?" Inuzuka Hana's voice broke the near silence of the room and caused Naruto's gaze to shoot up and away from paperwork he had been going over for the past ten minutes.

His azure orbs instantly landed on the woman; tall, broad shouldered, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, inverted triangles on each cheek, every bit of an Inuzuka alpha that Kiba was. The only difference was, she had her hands up Sasuke's shirt.

Naruto had to do a double-take.

No, she was lifting up the Uchiha's shirt, which wasn't much better. '_What the hell?'_

"This looks pretty fresh. What happened here?" Hana inquired again, and this time Naruto could make out faint marksーscarsーthat ran along Sasuke's porcelain skin, made easier to follow as Hana's fingers traced along the raised lines. There were fourーno, five? That one was harder to seeー scars, lighter than Sasuke's white skin and glistening, that ran almost horizontal across the back and side of Sasuke's ribcage.

"It happened about four months ago," Sasuke's deep voice brought Naruto's attention away from the pale skin and up to his dark eyes that Naruto noticed for the first time were not focused on the other alpha, but himself. He felt a shiver run through him at the intensity of that gaze and tried to not think about the one similar only a month ago that had left him breathless and hiding behind his door for hours.

"Near the heat," Sasuke said again, and Naruto's eyes widened before moving back to that creamy skin and those marks, because, no, Sasuke didn't mean '_near'. _

Naruto felt his heartrate pickup and his fingers twitch against the papers on his desk. A sudden rush of satisfaction flooded through him, pride that he had left a lasting mark on such a strong alpha. It warmed his belly and made his thighs burn as a low humming purr rumbled in his chest against his will.

Hana gave a low whistle and stepped back so Sasuke could pull his shirt back down and put his body armor on the rest of the way. "Well, I hope you beat the shit out of the thing that did that to you."

"No," Sasuke said in a low voice, his gaze once again locked on Naruto's, "He was better than me."

…...

Naruto slammed the door behind him, letting his body fall limp against it as he took calming breaths. He ran a shaky hand through blond locks, finding them a little damp with perspiration and grimaced.

"Ok," he breathed out slowly and looked around. He was in some sort of supply closet. Not the best hiding places, but it would do in a pinch.

He had told Ino to take over for a few minutes while he delivered some papers to Morino and made a mad-dash for the nearest secluded spot. Fuck, he really was a coward wasn't he?

No! No… This, this was different.

Naruto took another deep, calming breath and cringed.

Dammit. _Damn him. _The heat that had rushed through Naruto had left him nearly breathless, caused him to remember being wrapped up in that scent—so soothing and enticing at the same time, clinging to his skin no matter how many times he seemed to wash it— and it only made it worse.

And now...and now…

Naruto groaned and pressed a palm against the hard cock hidden beneath his pants, willing the erectionーthe first one that he'd had outside of heat since early pubertyー to go away. He palmed himself again and felt a pleasant shiver run through his body.

He grit his teeth, "Son of a bitch."


	7. Part 6- August

**AN- **Welcome back! Thank you for all of the kind reviews (I'm so glad everyone liked Naru getting a boner lol) and for all the well wishes! I'm still sick, but my voice is almost back! Woot!

**A warning for this chapter!** Blood/violence, mentions of suicide. Also! If you don't remember the dream scene from chapter 1 then don't blame me for being surprised by what you read! When my beta read this she looked at me like I kicked her puppy and said "You _didn't_" with so much scorn in her voice that I had to laugh, granted it had been 6 months since we had read chapter 1...

R&R and enjoy!

7\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 6)

August

It happened too quickly for Sasuke to stop it.

They had been on the mission just outside Fire Country's border for two weeks as a two team unit, consisting of eight men and women with Naruto as the leading Captain, when they were suddenly attacked. The fight seemed to be going well, their ANBU unit had trained well under Naruto's guidance and had learned to work well together following each other's movement to the T.

Sasuke's Sharingan aided in the assault well, the ability to predict his enemy's movements before they happened allowed him to strike with either his claws or weapon quickly and won the Uchiha multiple kills in the field. It was when he was finishing off one assassin, an alpha sporting a metal forehead protector with four vertical stripesー_Ame_ー, that his crimson gaze landed on another stepping out from behind the dense trees not ten yards ahead of him.

The _Ame _alpha was staggering, his side already badly injured from a previous altercation with Sasuke's squad, but the multiple shuriken in his hand showed that he was still ready for a fight. Sasuke was already running, his red eyes spinning wildly as he approached his next target. And then he saw it.

He called out in warning to the brunet alpha standing on the far side of the field, but it was too late.

And then Naruto was there, his speed faster than the eye could see shooting through the trees to block Lee with his body.

Sasuke's blood ran cold as the two men fell to the ground with the force of Naruto's impact, but he had seen where the shuriken had pierced themselves in the omega's belly as his quick feet had twisted to give himself more momentum.

Sasuke didn't think as he ran his blade across the attacker's throat before he was running across the field and calling Naruto's name.

He slid on his knees in the moist earth, coating his dark pants with mud, to get to his fallen comrade sooner. Naruto was already struggling to sit up with the help of their team's medic specialist who supported him by the shoulders, a grimace of pain on his face as he moved too quickly. The alpha he had protected was being checked out behind him, although it looked like he only suffered from minor scratches and lots of mud. The rest of the squadron quickly fanned out around them to make sure all of their attackers had been taken care of, but Sasuke paid them no mind, his eyes were only on the omega.

Sasuke hadn't realized how quickly he had been breathing until he stopped all together when the sight of the actual wound was revealed with a tear of Naruto's shirt. Panic and dread and something else welled up inside him at the sight of those silver weapons piercing Naruto's abdomen. And then with a count of three, that really only went until two, they were being yanked free with a sharp yelp of pain from the blond that made Sasuke jerk with him. But then, the wounds were healing and Naruto was being handed a towel to wipe the excess blood away and the _damn dobe _was asking for a mission report while laughing and complaining about 'how much that stung'.

Anger welled up inside Sasuke so fast it almost made him dizzy, overwhelming the utter relief that he felt in knowing that the other man was safe, and he got to his feet glaring at the omega who was now _walking away. _

"What the _hell _is wrong with you?!" he yelled, completely uncaring as to where they were or who they were with. Naruto's bright blue eyes turning to him in surprise did nothing to cool his temper. "You could have been killed!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly and he took a step towards Sasuke, closing the distance between them faster than the alpha had realized. "He has a _family,_" Naruto's voice was harsh, his eyes hard as he waved a hand in the general direction of Rock Leeーa man that Sasuke hadn't spent very much time with, but had learned from Ino was a little eccentric.

"_That doesn't matter_," Sasuke snarled, his fingers curling, itching to drag the omega to him. The image of that cool metal imbedded into bloody skinーabdomen, _womb_ー was too fresh. "You— you're the one—"

"Stand down alpha." Naruto's voice was hardーthe voice of their captainーand suddenly he didn't look a head shorter than Sasuke anymore. His eyes, an icy blue steel that left no room for arguing, pierced sharply into Sasuke's own spinning crimson. "Stand down before I make you stand down."

Sasuke's teeth gnashed together until they hurt and he glared at Naruto for a moment longer before allowing his gaze to travel amongst the faces of their teammates who stood motionless and confused. With a final look toward his captain, Sasuke released a growl and stormed away.

…

It was when Sasuke was sitting on watch duty later that night that Naruto came to him.

The boulder that he had selected gave a nice view of the night sky and overlooked a small lake that glistened in the moonlight. It sat just out of the ring of light cast by the camp's fire, close enough to base in case there was an emergency but far enough away to have some privacy.

They had passed across Fire Country's border in the day so Sasuke didn't expect any unwelcome visitors tonight. All was quiet in the campsite, except for some random snores, as Sasuke heard the soft crunching of footsteps approach him from behind. He didn't bother turning around, or acknowledging the smaller man as he took up position next to him, somehow he just _knew _that it was Naruto by his side.

They sat and watched the way the moonlight played off of the water's surface for a while, its face breaking into a million shattered pieces and then reforming with every gentle breeze ghosting over it.

"I can't do this anymore," Naruto's low voice made Sasuke look over at him, but the omega was still looking at the water, a serious expression on his face.

"This," Naruto stopped and released a heavy sigh as if composing himself, and then he did look at Sasuke. "This," he said again, gesturing between the two of them, "whatever it is. Whatever you _want _it to be, I can't do it anymore."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say somethingーto protest, anythingーbut Naruto cut him off with a raised hand and pleading eyes.

"No. LetーMy father was an alpha," he said, and Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what this had to do with anything. But once again, Naruto cut him off. "When I was five, he died on a mission." He sighed and ran a hand over the back of his neck, looking out over the dark forest that lie on the other side of the glowing lake. "I don't know how, I never asked. Maybe I should. He may have been too slow," he gave a humorless laugh, "or too fast, but it took me a really long time to forgive him."

What was Sasuke supposed to say to that? That he was sorry for Naruto's loss? That he had father issues too? That sounded like a shitty thing to say and it wasn't like Naruto didn't know that already. The real problem was, why was Naruto telling him this at all? Not that Sasuke wasn't happy that Naruto was finally opening up to him without prompting. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, but still… Was he just afraid of being abandoned? Because if that was the case thenー

"Sasuke, how many betas do you know?" Naruto's abrupt subject change stumped the Uchiha.

"Huh?" was all Sasuke could say in response.

A small smirk of amusement fluttered across Naruto's features before he was serious again. "Beta," he said again. His gaze danced along the water, his brows furrowing slightly in contemplation. "Granny's a beta."

Sasuke nodded even though Naruto couldn't see it. He knew Naruto's grandmother, Tsunade; had met her a few times when he had helped bring an injured companion into the hospital. The woman was probably the most well known beta in the entirety of the village; known for not only her extraordinary doctoring skills but for her temper that rivaled that of an alpha's. It made sense that Naruto would come from her stock. Tsunade was also apparently old as sin, but looked to be in her thirties. Sasuke had heard some of their squadron talking and according to them the busty blonde was a MILF, or in this case a GILF. A small shudder ran up Sasuke's spine at the thought, because, just, ew.

"Granny was twenty-three when she mated," Naruto continued. His lips pursed before he shrugged, "Not too old, Granny Shizune could have been stuck with someone twice her age."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He had to assume this 'Shizune' was Tsunade's omega, and since it was an old kept tradition in Konoha to release omega from the tower at the age of sixteen than he didn't doubt Naruto's words. It had happened before, if the beta or alpha was in the right place at the right time, but usually only the fastest and the strongest got to the omega first and those weren't normally middle aged citizens. The mating ritual was meant to be fair, to give everyone an equal chance to get a mate—to keep the peace— but they had to earn it by getting there first and even fighting for their claim if push comes to shove. Everyone was striving to plant their seed— to reproduce— and that drive alone seemed to be enough to sustain them after the fact.

"Granny says it was love at first sight," a small smile came to Naruto's lips but his eyes held no joy. The look was disjointed and left a sour feeling in the pit in Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke didn't like where this was going. He knew what the relationship between a beta and omega became, even if he had spent the majority of his life away from them.

Naruto released a small laugh, running a hand through his blond locks making them glisten in the moonlight as they fanned out of his fingers and back into place. Night or day Naruto seemed to glow and it never ceased to take Sasuke's breath away.

"Why is it," Naruto asked, "that an alpha gets to keep their omega, when a beta doesn't? Their not— _we're _not— property," he corrected, though the administration of his second gender seemed to pain him. He released a quick puff of air with a shake of his head as if dismissing that point, and the gesture sharpened Sasuke's intense stare further. It was most likely a topic he didn't want to get into right now no matter how sore of a spot it obviously was for him.

It may have been the first time that Sasuke had heard Naruto openly admit what he truly was and Naruto's choice of words only left a bad taste in his mouth. Although it had been months, Sasuke could remember that feeling—that _need—_that he had when he'd first seen the omega again. Overwhelmed by both the omega's scent and his own arousal all Sasuke had wanted to do was own and possess him. The fact that the feeling still lingered, just not in such a daunting way, now placed a burden of guilt on the alpha that wasn't there before. He throat suddenly felt tight as he looked at the man next to him— his golden hair dancing free and wild in the night's breeze.

"Betas are just as capable of love as alpha," Naruto pushed on, completely ignorant of his companion's inner turmoil. "Why should acts of _possessive violence _make alpha superior, give them more rights?"

Sasuke resisted the sudden urge to flinch away. Naruto was looking at him again, this time like he really wanted answers, but the alpha didn't have any.

Sasuke could claim that their population was on the decline and it was necessary, but with the amount of children alpha tended to have (especially with the added incentive of more money per child) that wasn't the case anymore. Besides, what would stop a beta from having the same amount of children if they could? He could also claim that alpha were superior due to better breeding: bigger, stronger, but Naruto had already proved that fact moot. The fact was, love just wasn't a factor when it came to mating, and therein laid the problem.

Naruto stared at Sasuke for a moment before looking away, taking his silence for what it was. "They were happy," he said, once again on the topic of his grandparents. "Almost a year is a long time to build a life together and not get attached. And then my mom came." He looked up at the sky, a trace of a smile gracing his features, most likely remembering his mother's face.

Sasuke knew Naruto's mother had passed away some time before they had met. All the children had known that the fiery blond just lived with his overbearing grandmother. Naruto's smile was that of someone with fond memories missing a loved one, bittersweet and sad and so so lonely, and a little part of Sasuke was jealous that he would never have that for his own lost parents.

But then the smile was gone with a clear of his throat, Naruto's eyes darting over to Sasuke once more. "Then Shizune was gone." His voice sounded rougher, throat a little tight. "Did you know that they only give omega until the next heat with their child until they are sent off again? That's _three_ months."

Sasuke's eyes were wide with the implications that Naruto's words brought. Three months. That was shorter than the time Naruto had been back in his life.

It was true that Sasuke hadn't had that much interaction with beta over the years (his clan didn't keep any afterall, and since then outside of the casual greeting or needed small talk in their place of business he hadn't really had the need or desire), but he had never given much thought over their personal lives, the fact that they had to raise their child by themselves after giving up someone they potentially cared for. It was a grounding realization, one that made those beta much stronger than Sasuke had ever seen them before.

Sasuke swallowed thickly as he stared at the blond omega next to him, because even with all the heartache of his childhood he didn't think he would be as strong as those beta. He wouldn't be able to stand by and watch as Naruto raised a family with another while his own child remained ignorant of their other parent. He released a stuttering breath and asked, "and then what?" because he knew there was more.

Naruto lips pursed and his eyebrows furrowed like he was tasting something really sour and he returned his gaze back to the gently rippling water. Sasuke's eyes were drawn down to Naruto's lap where he noticed the blond's hands kneading into his loose black pants trying to quell their obvious shaking.

"She killed herself," Naruto said in a low steady voice that didn't betray the obvious emotions he was feeling. He glanced over at Sasuke before looking away. "Shizune," he clarified, "she was mated with a beta again and," he paused, his eyes darting back and forth like he was picturing the scene in front of him, "she killed herself."

The unspoken words of heartache were left unsaid. It appeared that Tsunade's love affair was not one sided, and the loss of both mate and child were too much to bare and even harder to do again for the young omega woman.

Sasuke felt cold. He longed to reach out and clasp Naruto's shaking hands in his, pull him into his arms, but he couldn't move.

"A-and then my mom presented as an omega," Naruto continued, his eyes wide still lost in those days—years apart, but no less forgettable—that he hadn't been a part of but was still tied to. "And she was taken too."

'_The Omega Tower,' _Sasuke took a steadying breath to try to compose himself. It was honestly hard to get his thoughts in order. A part of him wanted to tell Naruto that it was ok, that he had nothing to fear. That the worries that were his grandmother's were not his own, but that wasn't really true. It was clear now, though he had suspected it for a long time now, that Tsunade was the reason why Naruto had no scent. It was no surprise that the genius doctor would come up with a way to block her omega grandson's scent completely. The very idea brought on a respect and pride for the woman that Sasuke didn't think possible. Nevertheless, just because she had suffered loss in her own past it didn't mean what she was doing was right. Sasuke could admit that what had happened, that was _still _happening was 'unfair' as Naruto put it time and time again, but the part of him that remembered his family, remembered the consequences of their actions and beliefs, couldn't see that as a good enough reason to let it happen again. Naruto said he was _done_, but Sasuke was an alpha and he was determined to see this through. He wouldn't lose his omega.

"Naruto," he began slowly, delicately as the topic needed, but he had to get his point across no matter how stubborn the blond was going to be.

"Two months," Naruto cut him off. His words left Sasuke bewildered enough to lose focus for a moment. Naruto's jaw clenched to the point that it looked painful, his eyes seemed to glow with the reflection of the moonlight bouncing off of the water (or was that shimmer the oncoming wetness in Naruto's own eyes? Sasuke couldn't tell, but he hoped not). "My father died two months shy of the next heat," Naruto said.

Sasuke's brows furrowed. Now he really didn't know what the blond was on about. He wasn't going to lie and say that his time away with Itachi hadn't been a bit sheltered, even if he had been exposed to the many different ways of the world Sasuke was still a bit vague on the inner workings of Konoha's—shall we say— private affairs. Nevertheless, his hand twitched on his lap not knowing if Naruto would accept any form of comfort from him, but the tightening on Naruto's face as if the blond was trying desperately not to cry was nearly unbearable.

"Do you know how hard it is?" Naruto finally said through a heavy gasp, his emotions barely in check, finally on the cusp of breaking. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before continuing. "How _wrong _it is to force someone to find a new mate that soon after their last one dies?"

"_He has a _family_."_

"_That doesn't matter. You—you're the one—"_

This time Sasuke did reach out, though for his own comfort or Naruto's he couldn't be sure. The horror running through his body, sending chills up his spine, was enough for him to grip Naruto's thigh as if the other man would suddenly disappear before his eyes.

Naruto didn't seem to notice the touch, his memories too far gone as he finally succumbed to his emotions simmering just below the surface.

"A-and," Naruto began, his voice hiccuping as glassy tears finally broke the surface and rolled down his face.

It was the second time in as many months that Sasuke pulled Naruto into a comforting embrace, though the cause behind it was different Naruto clung just as desperately to the alpha as he did the first time.

Sasuke stroked Naruto's golden head, all thoughts of watch duty long forgotten, and furrowed his eyebrows in dismay as the blond began speaking against his chest in broken sobs.

"I'm sorry," Naruto's voice came out pained. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Sasuke tightened his arms around the smaller male and quietly shushed him in hope to somehow calm him down, but Naruto was having none of it.

"I-I just wanted to know where she was going," Naruto cried, and Sasuke's hand stilled on his head at the words. "I didn't know."

Sasuke's heartbeat was probably beating faster than was considered healthy and he closed his eyes to stave off the sudden wave of dizziness that washed over him. "Naruto," his voice was almost a whisper, only able to carry because his mouth was next to the omega's ear, "what happened?"

Naruto gave a low whine, his arms tightening around the alpha that would have been appreciated in any other situation but only brought on more dread now. When it seemed like he wasn't going to answer Sasuke resumed running his long fingers through Naruto's hair, gently massaging along the base of his skull. It took a long time for the sobs to calm down to sniffling hiccups.

"I followed her," Naruto finally said in a small voice that sounded nothing like his own, "and then _he _found us. Apparently the need to protect your children overrules the need to mate and he didn't like that." Naruto paused, his head resting against Sasuke's shoulder like a dead weight. "We ran, he chased," he gave a big sniff, and Sasuke was glad he was getting the edited version of this story because he had enough nightmares as it was. "T-then," Naruto's voice broke again and he pushed his face into Sasuke's neck as if to hide his sob.

"Okay," Sasuke whispered, continuing his impromptu massage. "Okay." He wouldn't make Naruto tell anymore. Sasuke wasn't positive if that was the moment Naruto had lost his mother, but he had a pretty good feeling that it was. Matings could be violent (his own attempted one attested to that) and sometimes, though rarely, accidents happened. That kind of trauma at such a young age definitely left a mark and it opened Sasuke's eyes to a lot more than he had honestly been wanting to see.

Sasuke's eyes drifted over the lake once more, taking in the way the surface looked like glass now that the breeze had stopped. A perfect mirror reflected off of its surfaceー the nearly full moon in all its glory, some scattered clouds, the dark forest far on its edgeーall looking the same and yet holding none of the terrors that this world did.

Naruto's face was still buried in his neck and Sasuke allowed his cheek to brush up against Naruto's own, seeking comfort as well as giving, not thinking twice before turning and placing a soothing kiss near the omega's ear.

Sasuke didn't even notice when Naruto fell asleep, but he continued holding him and thought about what had past and what was to come.

…...

* * *

**AN- **I hope it wasn't too bad! For those of you who are paying attention to the months in the chapter title, the next month is September and 6 months after the heat where Sasuke and Naruto met again! Big times! Thanks for reading!


	8. Part 7- September

**AN- **Hello, and welcome to the end! I hope you all are well and safe during this pretty much world wide lockdown. My cold has now become allergies/ possibly strep throat (which is cool because the Dr office isn't accepting patients). Meh.

Warnings for this chapter! Smut! Finally!

Special thanks to my forever best friend and beta TreeStarr, and to all of everyone who has taken the time to comment on this fic!

Hope you like it! Thanks for reading!

8\. Mating's a Bastard (Part 7)

September

_It had all started with an off handed comment by Ino after a particularly long briefing._

…

Naruto panted as he once again made his way around the too-small cabin, his footsteps heavy and his body tenseーthat of a trapped animal. His mind was already clouded, too hot and on the verge of being lost completely to the lust pulsing through his veins and down to his aching groin and backside, and the sun had just barely set.

He groaned, a sweat slicked hand moving to grind against the front of his loose fitting shorts that had already begun to cling to his skin. The motion did little to relieve the pressure building in his pulsing erection.

He needed more. Always more. He neededー

His skin tingled as a shiver ran through him and Naruto's head jerked toward the front of the cabin where the door stood closed and secure. His instinctsーthose of a hunter's, honed from years of training and putting them to good useー were now heightened by the Autumnal Heat running through him, and as such they forced his body toward the door.

The brass knob felt cool to the touch and Naruto took but a moment to press his sweltering body against the smooth surface of the wooden door even as he bodily pushed it open. His mouth fell limp as it took in a slow steadying breath, but all he was able to pick up was the overwhelming aroma of the flowers blooming around his grandmother's property. Though that didn't stop his eyes from dilating as they took in the sight before him.

'_Alpha,' _his brain supplied, as his aching need became wet with slick.

He watched the way the dark haired man stood, his body strong and powerful, his skin glowing white like the moon, only outshined by the ruby of his eyes which spun with a challenging beauty that held promises, making Naruto's omega purr.

And then, Naruto attacked.

…

'_Cramps!' _Was the first thought that entered Naruto's mind upon waking, causing his eyes to snap open and his body to jerk with a spasm of a quick awakening.

The sun was shining overhead, it's early morning breaking through the thick treetops everytime a gentle wind moved over them, casting an array of ever changing shapes to dance along Naruto's warm skin like glowing kisses. Birds sang in nearby branches, calling out sweet melodies to one another as a new day took form. The earth, rich with the smell of early Fall, was moist and warm— a bed of freshly fallen leaves, moss, and loosely packed dirt cushioned Naruto's prone body.

Naruto took in none of this, however, because of that one thought.

_Cramps._

A negative word to be sure, one that was full of twisted pain and aching muscles. A pain so fierce that you don't know whether to curl up into a ball to die or just tear out your own insides to get some form of relief. Naruto had lived many years succumbing to the horrendous torture of those gut wrenching things, and he had still never gotten used to them.

However, the problem this morning that woke the blond so suddenly from his restful slumber, was the _lack_ of them.

Naruto closed his eyes, inhaling the musty scent of the soil below him and the flowers that he was sure were still close by, as the feeling of the warm body behind him seeped into his spine, into his _bare skin_, and he brought a hand down between his legs. His teeth ground as his leg shook from the strain of barely moving, his thigh and hip joints protesting every movement.

The arm around his waist tightened at the small movement, feeling strong and sure, and Naruto took a breath, then another, and another. Deeper, longer.

That unknown and yet familiar smell lying just below the flower's powerful aroma was becoming clearer now that his mind wasn't riddled with sleep and he could focus on it. He knew that if he looked down now that he would see an arm with skin the color of porcelain and smooth as silk—a small relief to the nearly crushing wave that swept up from his belly and into his chest upon waking—but he refused to look, his eyes staying clenched shut as his fingers made their downward trek.

Naruto ignored the shaking in his fingertips as they swept along the seam of his crack, pressing deep to brush against his hole. A shuddering breath escaped him, his stomach clenching in an unfamiliar way, when he was met with warmth, moisture, a stinging pain that was familiar and yet not.

Removing his hand, Naruto brought it up to his face and opened his eyes.

Another breath left him as he took in the not red, but clear substance on his fingersーslick that hadn't had the time to properly dryーand he let his hand fall to the mossy earth.

"Mother fucker."

…...

"They're ready to see you now," the pretty beta announced with a pleasant smile that Sasuke couldn't bring himself to return, but it didn't matter because the secretary had already turned away.

Sasuke released a soothing breath, releasing the tension from his shoulders as he followed the beta down the short hallway into the circular chamber.

'_Confidence,' _he told himself as he took in the assembled men and women around the roomーall alpha, most nearly twice his age. '_Confidence, just like his.' _

Sasuke couldn't help thinking of Naruto, _his _omega, whom he had begrudgingly left sleeping back at that secluded cabin deep in the woods. The knot in his shoulders tightened as he watched the alpha before him shift in their seats and knew that they could scent that he had claimed a mate of his own. The urge to simultaneously run back to his omega's side and stand his ground against any threat rose in Sasuke, but he took another calming breath.

His mind drifted back to the events that lead up to this moment, and he squared his shoulders even as a small smirk came to his face.

…

'Teme'. _That one word made all the difference. _

'_Teme', an insult or more of an aggressive form of _you_, but an insult nonetheless; the one word that Naruto had chosen to counter Sasuke's own 'Dobe' in their youth. Sasuke had been back for nearly six months and he hadn't heard it. _

_Until he did, and it was that word that made him do it..._

_The week leading up to the Fall heat had found Naruto in a horrible mood. Sasuke had been concerned at first, the blond had needlessly snapped at him on more than one occasion (especially about standing too close), but the other's in the unit__ー__Ino__ー__informed him that it was normal. Naruto fit right in since most non-mated 'alpha' tended to be more aggressive pre-heat; and the omega would often be found ruthlessly driving his ANBU into the mud with his vigorous workouts, briefings, assignments, and missions, all with a snarl on his face and a bite on his tongue. _

_Sasuke was surprised that he wasn't feeling the affects himself; but then he supposed, even though he couldn't scent him, he had his omega right there with him all day every day whether they were mated or not. Naruto had been cooling his blood the whole time without even knowing it. It hurt Sasuke to know that it wasn't doing the same for the omega, because apparently this time Naruto was worse than ever. _

_No one was prepared for Naruto's reaction when Ino rubbed her brow in exhaustion, her irritation for her best friend finally waning, and said, "Geez, stop being such a bitch. You're worse than Sakura."_

_That did it. That word, bitch, must have struck a nerve in the blond that Ino had no idea was too true. Naruto _flipped_. Sasuke wasn't so much paying attention to what the other man was yelling about, more to the _way _he was saying it, with his lips pulled back in an ugly snarl, his eyes blazing and his cheeks flushed red with anger. It was only after Naruto was storming away, leaving a stunned group of alpha (some cowering) and a hurt looking Ino, that Sasuke intervened._

"_Naru__ー" __he said, reaching out for the shorter man._

"_Not now, Teme!" Naruto growled, and then he was gone._

_Sasuke had stood there frozen with his hand outstretched for a good few minutes while that _word _bounced around in his head. He knew he should have felt dejected, rejected, but all he felt was elated, because after all these years Naruto hadn't forgotten. It never mattered that the names they called each other were insults, because somewhere along the way they weren't anymore. And whether it was conscious or not, Naruto remembered. In all their years apart, Naruto may have thought of the Uchiha as much as he thought of the blond._

_So it was with that knowledge, with that word on Naruto's tongue echoing in Sasuke's mind that he followed the omega. _

…

Sasuke thought of the little cabin in the woods, of the way he had followed Naruto as far as the edge of the clearing. The forest was dense and the cabin was miles away from the village. It was amazing that the blond hadn't picked up on Sasuke's scent, then again the air was stagnant in the trees and Naruto was running at a pace that Sasuke was barely able to follow. It probably didn't help that Naruto's emotions were distracting him_. _

Sasuke's Sharingan had swirled back to black as Naruto entered the small cabin, the passage locked in his memory for later use should he need it. He had no idea where he was, but Naruto's sure footsteps in his desperate rush had told of years of use- a deep familiarity. The chase had cooled Sasuke's blood enough to know that he should probably leave the blond alone. No matter how much he wanted to take Naruto into his arms and whisper sweet nothings, Naruto was pissed and needed time to cool down. Sasuke had learned enough over the past months to give him that time, so with one more look at the secluded cabin Sasuke had left.

That was until the Autumnal moon rose and the alpha's blood once again boiled with the desire to scent his enticing prey.

…..

'Omega,' _Sasuke's mind helpfully supplied as he made his way back to the small cabin in which he had last seen Naruto. His body pulsed, his blood running hot pushing him to move faster through the cool night air as the moon rose high above. The Heat was upon him._

_His omega had been gone long enough, had denied him long enough, and tonight Sasuke would finally make the blond man his. _

_Sasuke's eyes darted left and right, his ears straining to hear even the faintest whisper, and his nostrils flaring as he scented the air. He knew that they were out there, his rivals, his competition. It didn't matter that the Claiming Heat had come and gone, that any available omega were already mated. There were always stragglers— Sasuke knew— those _weak _who had _failed _and_ _were now horny and desperate, and even though Sasuke couldn't see them he _knew _they were out there. They were out there hunting just as he was. No, not like him… Sasuke was _stalking. _He knew where his prey would be tonight and he'd be damned if someone else got to him first. So Sasuke stayed vigilant as he raced through the woods ignoring the throbbing between his legs for the time being. There would be time for that soon. _

_The brush was cool under his feet as he landed softly outside of the small cabin, his bare toes sinking deep into the soon to be rotting fallen leaves. A part of him questioned his stupidity for leaving his house without proper footwear— he knew how fast his omega was, he needed to be able to catch him— but another, much bigger part, was agitated by the scent of the flowers clogging his nostrils and blocking any hope of finding said omega. _

_A low growl barreled through his chest, only to freeze when the front door of the cabin creaked open. _

_Every instinct in Sasuke told him to go after the omega, _his _omega, but then he remembered his last attempt at claiming the fierce blond and he held his ground._

_Naruto came to him. _

_They hit the ground rolling, tearing through both skin and clothing, leaving a trail of shredded material in their wake. The scent of blood pricked the air masked by the heavy stench of arousal, only adding to the growing lust as the two males growled and bit at each other as they fought for dominance._

_A low grunt escaped the omega as his chest collided into the thick trunk of a tall tree, his hands reaching out to catch himself so his face wouldn't be torn off by the rough bark. He snarled, his breath coming out in ragged pants, and tried to push himself away from the tree only to be forced back with bruising hands gripping his hips and torso. The moss cushioning his knees at the base of the tree did nothing to cool his body as warmth__ー__solid, burning, fire__ー __was suddenly pressed against his backside to trap him in place. _

_Another wave of arousal washed through Naruto sending a new drizzle of slick down his leg and causing him to involuntarily grind his bare ass against the alpha's own hard need as his asshole clenched around nothing. A low whine escaped his throat as that hot length ground forcefully back kindling the flames burning in his stomach. _

_Whether Sasuke had won his little spar against the omega through skill or shear strength (or by the blond just giving up due to overwhelming lust), he couldn't be sure, but he didn't care as he was already reaching to grab at a plush tanned ass cheek, kneading it harshly before pushing his full length into the all encompassing liquid heat that was Naruto's body. _

_Naruto keened, his claws digging deep fissures into the tree trunk as his back bowed to the heavens._

_Sasuke groaned low, a deep rumble that was an odd mix of a growl and a purr vibrating through his chest as his hips found a fast, steady rhythm, the need for some release overwriting anything else. His mouth had already found Naruto's scent gland, now on full display as the blond tilted his head back to rest against the alpha's stooped shoulders, and he took every opportunity to _taste_, licking, biting, breathing in the scent that he had been dreaming of for six solid months, all the while pistoning his hips into the velvet smooth walls that his deepest darkest fantasy couldn't compare to._

_Even as Naruto's breathing became more labored__ー __his voice coming out in short gasps that startled any lingering night creatures still in that vicinity and driving the alpha's lust only higher__ー __Sasuke's was low and deep, trying to take in as much of the omega's scent as he could, letting it permeate every part of his being with its intoxicating scent while his own seemed to flow out of him to envelope the smaller male to lay its own claim. His omega felt hot against him__ー __perfect__ー __as they ground against one another in their desperate need. _

_Sasuke's hands released their death grip, leaving bloodied pinprick holes that instantly sealed over, and glided over flawless tanned skin that contrasted so beautifully against his own milky white. One hand reached up to pull at the remains of the tattered shirt that hung limply off of the omega's toned chest, his calloused fingers brushing over sensitive nipples in the process and earning him a full body shudder from the blond. His other moved down to grope at the omega's erection eliciting a low moan from the man. It hung hot and heavy in his palm as he wrapped his hand around it and began pumping it with the same abandon that his hips had taken. _

"_Mine," Sasuke's hot breath panted against Naruto's ear, the word a promise full of all the passion, possessiveness, instinct, and pure feelings Sasuke knew were there __ー __but the alpha in him__ー__the Heat__ー __was just clouding his mind too much to think clearly._ _And then he was spilling into his mate, his jaw locked down tight against the smaller man's shoulder just as his hips rocked tighter against the firm tanned ass milking him of all he had. _

_Pain shocked the alpha out of his momentary post-coitus bliss. His roar of agony echoed through the otherwise silent woods as Naruto's sharp claws dug into his thighs. _

_A shuddering moan was pulled from both males as Naruto jerked backwards dislodging the alpha from his body, forcing Sasuke to lose his balance and tumble to the ground as the omega's claws left his thighs. _

_Sasuke was having trouble keeping track of what was happening, his instincts were still running high and the continual swap between pleasure and pain was confusing his already clouded mind. Suddenly, he found himself falling backwards until the hard ground knocked the wind out of him and shot pain through his spine and stinging thighs, taking the attention away from his dick. _

_It was only due to the full moon that Sasuke noticed the shadow when it fell over him, but even if there had been no light he knew that he would have sensed the other man from his sheer aura alone. Looking up, Sasuke took in the way Naruto's blue eyes seemed to glow— glistening stars shining their twin constellation against a midnight sky— and the way his muscled form hovered over him, tense and quivering, panting, like a golden beast ready to devour its prey. _

_A shiver racked through the youngest Uchiha's body, because Sasuke knew that _this_, right here, was the omega he had been chasing for so long. This powerful man that would challenge him at every turn and not back down, and alpha pride be damned, Sasuke wanted all of it so much he could feel the passion burning like fire in his veins._

"_Alpha," the word was _purred _out, low and slow, like liquid honey spilling sweet from the omega's full pink lips, as Naruto crawled his way up along Sasuke's body. A pink tongue gave a long swipe up Susuke's abs, the sensation ticklish but still drawing a deep breath from the Uchiha's lungs. A shuddering moan escaped the omega as he drew his tongue back in to savor whatever flavor and scent he could. _

"_Omega," the word left Sasuke's mouth, though if he were commanding or begging at this point he couldn't be sure. It didn't matter either way, because Naruto hurriedly moved up until he straddled the prone man's lap. His inner thighs ground harshly against the fresh wounds along Sasuke's legs, but the pain was but a fleeting thought at the back of the Uchiha's mind when all the young alpha could think about was that warm heat so near his once again aching cock. _

_Naruto was still hard, his swollen cock brushing gently against Sasuke's abdomen as he shifted placing his hands on Sasuke's toned chest for purchase, and Sasuke licked his suddenly dry lips as he struggled keeping his focus between the blond's beautiful face and his tempting sex._

_And then Naruto ground against him with a delicious whine and Sasuke couldn't hold back any longer, any lingering thought melting away along with his patience. _

_He lunged for the smaller man, capturing him in a mind numbing kiss__ー__that was more tongue and teeth than lips__ー __as they both shifted and fumbled until they were sharing a relieved moan against each other's lips when their bodies were once again linked where they needed it most. _

_Naruto broke the kiss with a harsh gasp and pushed himself into a sitting position. He licked the saliva from his pleasantly stinging lips as he shifted his weight to reach behind to help spread his ass cheek for better access. Sasuke's did the same with the other side, kneading it before pulling it to expose the quivering stretched hole, while his other hand kept a steady grip on the blond's hip._

_Naruto shifted his hips and thrust himself down hard, fully sheathing the Uchiha's hard cock inside his tight heat. "Ahh, mmn," he shuddered in pleasure at the slight burn that the move induced, before he started up a steady rhythm._

_Sasuke's breath hitched, the slow pace the omega had set curling his toes and tying pleasant knots in his stomach that he hadn't thought possible. He released his hold on Naruto's hip and moved his hand so it rested over Naruto's on his ass and pulled his cheeks farther apart to ease the blond's progress, and was rewarded when the omega gave a little relieved smile as his grind down became a little rougher._

_The alpha drank in the erotic expression on Naruto's flushed face; the scars on his cheeks stood out more adding to his exotic features, his blue eyes were half-lidded with want, and his mouth was open in a silent moan. Every picture an omega should be, but Sasuke knew that those coiling muscles working the man's body up and down against his were just as lethal as any alpha. _

_Minutes went by as the two men continued to move together. The only noise that was heard was the midnight creatures calling out to each other in the woods and the pleasured moans and heavy breathing as skin slapped against skin in a passionate embrace. _

_Sasuke could feel his release building up, so he pulled Naruto down for another kiss, unable to get enough of the other man. He thrust his hips up harder and faster, seeking deeper penetration and felt Naruto shift his legs further apart to aid in the process, while he sucked on the blond's tongue._

_Naruto gave a strangled noise and ripped himself away with a shuddering moan, propping himself up on Sasuke's heaving chest for better leverage. "T-touch me, alpha." It was said as a command, as the ANBU Captain would order one of his subordinates, but the breathlessness of his voice shattered any intimidating presence Naruto would have otherwise had. _

_Sasuke complied anyway, wrapping his slender fingers around Naruto's pulsing erection and pumping his fist in time with his harsh thrusts._

"_Oh…gah, nngh," the jumble of nonsensical half words spilled out of Naruto's mouth as his back arched and his thighs flexed around Sasuke's pale hips. His claws once again dug into Sasuke's milky skin, leaving bloody pinpricks on his chest and making his pecs flex in response to the pain. "_Fuck_," he closed his eyes and continued grinding down on the hard length, his body shaking with the need to cum._

_When the omega's movements suddenly began to get __disjointedー__his legs trembling even as he tried to push himself to completion__ー __Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. A growl tore from his throat as Sasuke all but threw the smaller man to the side, momentarily separating their bodies and earning a moan of despair from the omega. The alpha was on him in a flash, spreading tanned legs wide and driving back into his needy heat in one swift motion. _

_Sasuke panted, beads of sweat dripping down his face and landing harmlessly on Naruto's heaving chest as he watched his pulsing length move slickly in and out of the omega's puckered pink hole. Naruto was clenching around him so nicely and the need to come again was near unbearable. The need to fill his omega with his seed, keep filling him, until his stomach was fat with the children and __ー __oh gods, that thought alone nearly brought the alpha over the edge and he released a small whimper as his thrusts became harsher. _

_Tears of pleasure were leaking from Naruto's eyes, his voice caught somewhere in his throat in his attempts to get enough air to even breathe. His hand reached down to wrap around his once again neglected dick and that was all it took. With Naruto's next breath his lungs froze and his body seized, his hot semen splashing between them as his orgasm hit him full force. _

"_Haah- tight." The vice-like grip didn't deter him as he tried to fuck his mate through his orgasm as well as find his own release. His arms wrapped around the omega, who was still shaking and releasing tiny whimpers as he continued to grind his own hips up into the alphas even though he was practically boneless. Burying his nose in golden locks, Sasuke's teeth clenched as his abs burned and the coil in his stomach wound so tight he thought he might die. His heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst from his chest at any moment._

"_Oh fffu-," Sasuke's breath caught and his movements became jerky as he threw back his head and his spine arched. His orgasm washed over him, spilling into Naruto's hot channel in pulsing waves._

…

Three days. There were three days of crazy heat induced sex (the memories being foggy at most and only there thanks to the Uchiha's Sharingan) until they woke up yesterday and…

Sasuke rubbed his cheek where Naruto had sucker punched him in the jaw, the light bruising there was nothing compared to all the various cuts and gashes that littered the Uchiha's body from the actual mating (his thighs in particular burned like a mother with every aching step). Sasuke swore, in all the training and combat he had seen throughout the years, he had accumulated more scars from that one omega than from anything else. It didn't matter though, Sasuke would wear them with pride. He would make his mate proud and wouldn't let what they had done been in vain, because he didn't regret it and never would.

That was why he was here.

His eyes roved over the assembled alpha, and had to wonder if the interest they were now showing in him had less to do with his coveted Uchiha bloodline and more due to do with the fact with him leaving his new, most likely _pregnant, _mate (an act nearly unheard of). _That _thought did weird things to his stomach that were anything but unpleasant, and he couldn't stop himself from releasing an intimidating snarl at the other alpha. It only took a moment to reel in his emotions, however, and Sasuke took a soothing breath. He couldn't blame them for their curiosity, leaving Naruto had been near painful— their newly formed bond so fresh and yet seeming to lay so naturally over the feelings already there—, but Sasuke was determined.

He closed his tired eyes and released a slow breath. He thought of Hinataーa loving mother, shy and beautiful, but wishing for something she couldn't have. He thought of Inoーan alpha, strong and sure, "_She wanted to run a flower shop…". _He thought of Tsunadeーa legend, maybe the fiercest beta to come out of Konoha, forced to raise her grandson on her own after losing so much. He thought of all those faceless, nameless beta whom he had never given a second thought to until he was forced to look through their eyes. He thought of Itachi— a young boy forced to murder his entire clan before raising his emotionally stunted brother.

And Sasuke thought of Naruto.

With one final deep inhalation that seemed to ground his whole being, Uchiha Sasuke, proud alpha of Konoha squared his shoulders and opened his eyes. His piercing gaze locked onto his instantly captivated audience.

"Esteemed council members, my name is Uchiha Sasuke and I propose a change."

* * *

**AN- **So that's it! I hope it didn't disappoint... Not going to lie, I sat on this chapter for like six months cause I couldn't write the sex scene, which was funny cause I wrote this fic to get back into writing porn lol. Please feel free to let me know what you think might happen to our boys after this point! Some people are already guessing and it's so fun lol Also, if anyone is interested in a GaaraShika sidefic then let me know cause I have an idea for that.

Thanks for reading! I have 2 more stories in the works and then I'll get back to TTIWDF!


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